Full-color nanostructured thin-film electroluminescent device utilizing ZnS nanocrystals doped with activator-ions

We have studied nanostractured (NS-) thin-film electroluminescent (TFEL) devices utilizing the ZnS nanocrystals (NCs) with the mean crystal sizes of of ca. 2-4 nm doped with activator-ions. As compared to the conventional TFEL device, we have achieved a remarkable reduction in the operation volt-ages by >100 V 0-p . Moreover, toward full-color emissions, emissions of three primary colors, i.e., red, green, and blue have been derived from Mn 2+ , Tb 3+ , and Tm 3+ ions, respectively. In this article, we review the studies on the fundamental properties of ZnS NCs as well as the device performance of the NS-TFEL devices. We also discuss the excitation mechanisms of the activator-ions in the ZnS NCs.