While LEDs have enabled many lighting possibilities not found in previous illumination technologies, a new breakthrough will allow an even greater range of opportunities. A novel manufacturing technique developed by Ph.D student Gul Amin at Linkoping University, Sweden, allows the fabrication of white LEDs directly on paper. The chemical process “grows” LEDs on a resin-coated substrate from zinc oxide and a conducting polymer, polydiethylflourene (PFO).
“This is the first time anyone has been able to build electronic and photonic inorganic semiconducting components directly on paper using chemical methods,” says professor and research-leader Magnus Willander. Potential applications include illuminated wallpaper, light-emitting curtains, or super-thin electronic signage.
