Micro-light-emitting diodes with quantum dots in display technology

Abstract

Micro-light-emitting diodes (mu-LEDs) are regarded as the cornerstone of next-generation display technology to meet the personalised demands of advanced applications, such as mobile phones, wearable watches, virtual/augmented reality, micro-projectors and ultrahigh-definition TVs. However, as the LED chip size shrinks to below 20 mu m, conventional phosphor colour conversion cannot present sufficient luminance and yield to support high-resolution displays due to the low absorption cross-section. The emergence of quantum dot (QD) materials is expected to fill this gap due to their remarkable photoluminescence, narrow bandwidth emission, colour tuneability, high quantum yield and nanoscale size, providing a powerful full-colour solution for mu-LED displays. Here, we comprehensively review the latest progress concerning the implementation of mu-LEDs and QDs in display technology, including mu-LED design and fabrication, large-scale mu-LED transfer and QD full-colour strategy. Outlooks on QD stability, patterning and deposition and challenges of mu-LED displays are also provided. Finally, we discuss the advanced applications of QD-based mu-LED displays, showing the bright future of this technology. Micro-LEDs: A fine display by quantum dots Micrometre-sized light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on quantum dots (QDs) will propel the next generation of display technologies, a review by leading researchers shows. Conventional LED designs, with phosphor coatings that convert light to different colours, are difficult to make smaller than 20 micrometres. Jr-Hau He at City University of Hong Kong and co-workers explain how this problem can be tackled using QDs, tiny particles whose optical properties can be tuned by varying their size, providing brighter and more precise colours. Ultra-high-resolution displays based on phospholuminescent QD-LEDs are now being released to the market thanks to finely-controlled methods for synthesising QDs and depositing them onto films. Further research should focus on the best ways to stabilise and protect QD films within LEDs, and to continue developing electroluminescent QD-LEDs, which could potentially outperform their phospholuminescent cousins.