Step into the white light for faster communication

A nanocrystalline material that rapidly makes white light out of blue light has been developed by KAUST researchers.

While Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are now well established technologies, there are several advantages gained by shortening the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves used for transmitting information.

So-called visible-light communication (VLC) makes use of parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that are unregulated and is potentially more energy-efficient. VCL also offers a way to combine information transmission with illumination and display technologies—for example, using ceiling lights to provide internet connections to laptops.

Many such VLC applications require light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that produce white light. These are usually fabricated by combining a diode that emits blue light with phosphorous that turns some of this radiation into red and green light. However, this conversion process is not fast enough to match the speed at which the LED can be switched on and off.

“VLC using white light generated in this way is limited to about one hundred million bits per second,” said Boon Ooi, a professor of electrical engineering at KAUST.

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