NSF Award
9983435
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project continues Reveo's successful development of unprecedented high-brightness, polarized-light-emitting electroluminescent devices (ELD's) for the immediate applications of energy-efficient liquid crystal display (LCD) and dashboard backlights, as well as the longer-term applications of glare-free general room lighting and automobile headlights. Polarized light is essential to reduce distracting glare from indoor lights for LCD backlights. However, all current methods of producing polarized light rely on a bulky polarizing panel placed in front of an unpolarized light source. Some have the serious disadvantage of wasting half the energy by absorbing one polarization state, but even reflective panels that polarize the light without waste suffer from the intrinsic disadvantages of high cost, complicated manufacturing, and inconvenient packaging. Reveo's ELD promises to be the first commercially viable polarized light source, bypassing all the disadvantages of present reflective polarizing panels while offering dramatic energy savings of a factor of two in LCD and dashboard backlights by eliminating the need for a polarizer altogether. In Phase II, we will construct prototype demonstration backlights to attract funding commitments from strategic partners, placing this revolutionary technology firmly on the path to fruition for the benefit of the environment and humanity.<br/><br/>The polarization properties of light are used ubiquitously in modern technology, as both enabling concepts for other technologies and as direct, important improvements in people's lives. Reveo's polarized-light-emitting electroluminescent device has immediate applications as an LCD backlight, allowing energy savings of a factor of two without being significantly more expensive than current backlights. With further development, this technology offers the potential of functioning as a polarized "light bulb" for room light, reducing eyestrain and other health consequences of glare for millions of office workers. The advent of a low-cost, high-brightness polarized light source has far-reaching positive impact on the environment, the economy, and indeed American health.
