Improving the modulation bandwidth of LED by CdSe/ZnS quantum dots for visible light communication

Visible light communication (VLC) is an advanced and high-efficiency wireless communication technology. As one of the most important light sources in VLC, conventional white light emitting diode (WLED) based on Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ (YAG:Ce) phosphor limits the system transmitting rate severely due to its narrow modulation bandwidth. Considering the short fluorescent lifetime of quantum dots (QDs), QD-LEDs with wide modulation bandwidths were designed here to improve the transmitting rate of VLC. CdSe/ZnS core/shell QDs and related luminescent microspheres (LMS) were implemented as light conversion materials for the QD-LEDs. Compared with conventional phosphor WLED, the proposed QD-LED and QD-WLED reached maximum improvement on modulation bandwidth at 74.19% and 67.75% respectively. Furthermore, mathematical modeling of smearing was analyzed to establish the relationship between fluorescent lifetime and modulation bandwidth. Our findings will provide an effective solution of white LEDs for high speed VLC. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America