Color-Conversion Microarrays with Simplified Fabrication Steps for Ultrahigh-Resolution Full-Color Micro-LED Displays
Journal
ACS Photonics
Journal Volume
13
Journal Issue
5
Start Page
1465
End Page
1476
ISSN
2330-4022
Date Issued
2026-02-17
Author(s)
Abstract
Micro-light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) are widely recognized as a key technology for next-generation high-end displays; however, their commercialization remains limited by critical technical challenges, including the difficulty of achieving high-yield mass transfer of ultrasmall pixels (<2 μm) and the limited conversion efficiency and environmental stability of conventional color-conversion materials, such as quantum dots. Here, we present an integrated solution addressing these challenges by developing an organic–inorganic hybrid color-conversion material with high process compatibility, environmental friendliness, and excellent optical stability, combined with high-resolution photolithography for subpixel microarray patterning. This fabrication process requires no dry etching, significantly simplifying the workflow and reducing production time by over 3-fold. In addition, the integration of a narrowband color-purity enhancement film and scattering-assisted mixed-size nanoparticles further enhances color purity and color-conversion efficiency. In a ∼2 μm thick color-conversion layer, green and red conversion efficiencies reach 81.4 and 71.3%, respectively. Using this approach, single-color microarrays with 11,548 PPI and full-color microarrays with 5774 PPI at 1.4 × 1.4 μm subpixels were successfully fabricated. A color-gamut coverage of 144.16% for the DCI-P3 standard is also achieved. Under accelerated aging conditions (continuous exposure to 46,000 nits, peak 460 nm blue LED for 1000 h), the red and green conversion efficiencies decreased by less than 4%. These results demonstrate a key technological advancement for high-performance, full-color micro-LED displays.
Subjects
color purity
color-conversion arrays
mass transfer
micro-LED
mixed-size nanoparticles
photolithography
Publisher
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Type
journal article