Korean Journal of Materials Research ISSN:1225-0562(Print) 2287-7258(Online) 한국재료학회지

Zinc Sulfide (ZnS) is one of the II-VI semiconducting materials, having novel fundamental properties and diverse areas of application such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), electroluminescence, flat panel displays, infrared windows, catalyst, chemical sensors, biosensors, lasers and biodevices, etc. However, despite the remarkable versatility and prospective potential of ZnS, research and development (R&D) into its applications has not been performed in much detail relative to research into other inorganic semiconductors. In this study, based on global patent information, we analyzed recent technical trends and the current status of R&D into ZnS applications. Furthermore, we provided new technical insight into ZnS applicable fields using in-depth analysis. Especially, this report suggests that ZnS, due to its infrared-transmitting optical property, is a promising material in astronomy and military fields for lenses of infrared systems. The patent information analysis in this report will be utilized in the process of identifying the current positioning of technology and the direction of future R&D.