Semiconductor‐Nanocrystals‐Based White Light‐Emitting Diodes

In response to the demands for energy and the concerns of global warming and climate change, energy efficient and environmentally friendly solid‐state lighting, such as white light‐emitting diodes (WLEDs), is considered to be the most promising and suitable light source. Because of their small size, high efficiency, and long lifetime, WLEDs based on colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (or quantum dots) are emerging as a completely new technology platform for the development of flat‐panel displays and solid‐state lighting, exhibiting the potential to replace the conventionally used incandescent and fluorescent lamps. This replacement can cut the ever‐increasing level of energy consumption, solve the problem of rapidly depleting fossil fuel reserves, and improve the quality of the global environment. In this review, the recent progress in semiconductor‐nanocrystals‐based WLEDs is highlighted, the different approaches for generating white light are compared, and the benefits and challenges of the solid‐state lighting technology are discussed.     

Stretchable Organometal‐Halide‐Perovskite Quantum‐Dot Light‐Emitting Diodes

Stretchable light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) and electroluminescent capacitors have been reported to potentially bring new opportunities to wearable electronics; however, these devices lack in efficiency and/or stretchability. Here, a stretchable organometal‐halide‐perovskite quantum‐dot LED with both high efficiency and mechanical compliancy is demonstrated. The hybrid device employs an ultrathin (<3 µm) LED structure conformed on a surface‐wrinkled elastomer substrate. Its luminescent efficiency is up to 9.2 cd A^?1, which is 70% higher than a control diode fabricated on the rigid indium tin oxide/glass substrate. Mechanical deformations up to 50% tensile strain do not induce significant loss of the electroluminescent property. The device can survive 1000 stretch–release cycles of 20% tensile strain with small fluctuations in electroluminescent performance.     

Recent Developments in Top‐Emitting Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

Organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) have rapidly progressed in recent years due to their unique characteristics and potential applications in flat panel displays. Significant advancements in top‐emitting OLEDs have driven the development of large‐size screens and microdisplays with high resolution and large aperture ratio. After a brief introduction to the architecture and types of top‐emitting OLEDs, the microcavity theory typically used in top‐emitting OLEDs is described in detail here. Then, methods for producing and understanding monochromatic (red, green, and blue) and white top‐emitting OLEDs are summarized and discussed. Finally, the status of display development based on top‐emitting OLEDs is briefly addressed.     

Degradation Mechanisms in Small‐Molecule and Polymer Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

Degradation in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) is a complex problem. Depending upon the materials and the device architectures used, the degradation mechanism can be very different. In this Progress Report, using examples in both small molecule and polymer OLEDs, the different degradation mechanisms in two types of devices are examined. Some of the extrinsic and intrinsic degradation mechanisms in OLEDs are reviewed, and recent work on degradation studies of both small‐molecule and polymer OLEDs is presented. For small‐molecule OLEDs, the operational degradation of exemplary fluorescent devices is dominated by chemical transformations in the vicinity of the recombination zone. The accumulation of degradation products results in coupled phenomena of luminance‐efficiency loss and operating‐voltage rise. For polymer OLEDs, it is shown how the charge‐transport and injection properties affect the device lifetime. Further, it is shown how the charge balance is controlled by interlayers at the anode contact, and their effects on the device lifetime are discussed.     

Efficient Red Perovskite Light‐Emitting Diodes Based on Solution‐Processed Multiple Quantum Wells

This paper reports a facile and scalable process to achieve high performance red perovskite light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) by introducing inorganic Cs into multiple quantum well (MQW) perovskites. The MQW structure facilitates the formation of cubic CsPbI₃ perovskites at low temperature, enabling the Cs‐based QWs to provide pure and stable red electroluminescence. The versatile synthesis of MQW perovskites provides freedom to control the crystallinity and morphology of the emission layer. It is demonstrated that the inclusion of chloride can further improve the crystallization and consequently the optical properties of the Cs‐based MQW perovskites, inducing a low turn‐on voltage of 2.0 V, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 3.7%, a luminance of ≈440 cd m^?2 at 4.0 V. These results suggest that the Cs‐based MQW LED is among the best performing red perovskite LEDs. Moreover, the LED device demonstrates a record lifetime of over 5 h under a constant current density of 10 mA cm^?2. This work suggests that the MQW perovskites is a promising platform for achieving high performance visible‐range electroluminescence emission through high‐throughput processing methods, which is attractive for low‐cost lighting and display applications.     

High‐Performance,Solution‐Processed,and Insulating‐Layer‐Free Light‐Emitting Diodes Based on Colloidal Quantum Dots

Quantum‐dot light‐emitting diodes (QLEDs) may combine superior properties of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) and advantages of solution‐based fabrication techniques to realize high‐performance, large‐area, and low‐cost electroluminescence devices. In the state‐of‐the‐art red QLED, an ultrathin insulating layer inserted between the QD layer and the oxide electron‐transporting layer (ETL) is crucial for both optimizing charge balance and preserving the QDs' emissive properties. However, this key insulating layer demands very accurate and precise control over thicknesses at sub‐10 nm level, causing substantial difficulties for industrial production. Here, it is reported that interfacial exciton quenching and charge balance can be independently controlled and optimized, leading to devices with efficiency and lifetime comparable to those of state‐of‐the‐art devices. Suppressing exciton quenching at the ETL–QD interface, which is identified as being obligatory for high‐performance devices, is achieved by adopting Zn_0.9Mg_0.1O nanocrystals, instead of ZnO nanocrystals, as ETLs. Optimizing charge balance is readily addressed by other device engineering approaches, such as controlling the oxide ETL/cathode interface and adjusting the thickness of the oxide ETL. These findings are extended to fabrication of high‐efficiency green QLEDs without ultrathin insulating layers. The work may rationalize the design and fabrication of high‐performance QLEDs without ultrathin insulating layers, representing a step forward to large‐scale production and commercialization.     

Monolithic Flexible Vertical GaN Light‐Emitting Diodes for a Transparent Wireless Brain Optical Stimulator

Flexible inorganic‐based micro light‐emitting diodes (µLEDs) are emerging as a significant technology for flexible displays, which is an important area for bilateral visual communication in the upcoming Internet of Things era. Conventional flexible lateral µLEDs have been investigated by several researchers, but still have significant issues of power consumption, thermal stability, lifetime, and light‐extraction efficiency on plastics. Here, high‐performance flexible vertical GaN light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) are demonstrated by silver nanowire networks and monolithic fabrication. Transparent, ultrathin GaN LED arrays adhere to a human fingernail and stably glow without any mechanical deformation. Experimental studies provide outstanding characteristics of the flexible vertical μLEDs (f‐VLEDs) with high optical power (30 mW mm^?2), long lifetime (≈12 years), and good thermal/mechanical stability (100 000 bending/unbending cycles). The wireless light‐emitting system on the human skin is successfully realized by transferring the electrical power f‐VLED. Finally, the high‐density GaN f‐VLED arrays are inserted onto a living mouse cortex and operated without significant histological damage of brain.     

Extremely Vivid,Highly Transparent,and Ultrathin Quantum Dot Light‐Emitting Diodes

Displaying information on transparent screens offers new opportunities in next‐generation electronics, such as augmented reality devices, smart surgical glasses, and smart windows. Outstanding luminance and transparency are essential for such “see‐through” displays to show vivid images over clear background view. Here transparent quantum dot light‐emitting diodes (Tr‐QLEDs) are reported with high brightness (bottom: ≈43 000 cd m^?2, top: ≈30 000 cd m^?2, total: ≈73 000 cd m^?2 at 9 V), excellent transmittance (90% at 550 nm, 84% over visible range), and an ultrathin form factor (≈2.7 µm thickness). These superb characteristics are accomplished by novel electron transport layers (ETLs) and engineered quantum dots (QDs). The ETLs, ZnO nanoparticle assemblies with ultrathin alumina overlayers, dramatically enhance durability of active layers, and balance electron/hole injection into QDs, which prevents nonradiative recombination processes. In addition, the QD structure is further optimized to fully exploit the device architecture. The ultrathin nature of Tr‐QLEDs allows their conformal integration on various shaped objects. Finally, the high resolution patterning of red, green, and blue Tr‐QLEDs (513 pixels in.^?1) shows the potential of the full‐color transparent display.     

Stability of Quantum Dots,Quantum Dot Films,and Quantum Dot Light‐Emitting Diodes for Display Applications

Quantum dots (QDs) are being highlighted in display applications for their excellent optical properties, including tunable bandgaps, narrow emission bandwidth, and high efficiency. However, issues with their stability must be overcome to achieve the next level of development. QDs are utilized in display applications for their photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence. The PL characteristics of QDs are applied to display or lighting applications in the form of color‐conversion QD films, and the electroluminescence of QDs is utilized in quantum dot light‐emitting diodes (QLEDs). Studies on the stability of QDs and QD devices in display applications are reviewed herein. QDs can be degraded by oxygen, water, thermal heating, and UV exposure. Various approaches have been developed to protect QDs from degradation by controlling the composition of their shells and ligands. Phosphorescent QDs have been protected by bulky ligands, physical incorporation in polymer matrices, and covalent bonding with polymer matrices. The stability of electroluminescent QLEDs can be enhanced by using inorganic charge transport layers and by improving charge balance. As understanding of the degradation mechanisms of QDs increases and more stable QDs and display devices are developed, QDs are expected to play critical roles in advanced display applications.