A cracking-assisted transfer printing technology for high-resolution quantum dot light-emitting diode displays

Jo, Jeong-Wan, Kim, Yoonwoo, Lee, Sanghyo, Yang, Jiajie, Bernstein, Yaron, Cotella, Giovanni Francesco, Zhao, Feng, Lyu, Quan, Davies, Thomas E., Abualnaja, Faris, Chu, Greg, Joyce, Hannah J., Hofmann, Stephan, Alexander-Webber, Jack A., Hou, Bo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9918-8223, Jung, Sung-Min, Amaratunga, Gehan A. J. and Kim, Jong Min 2026. A cracking-assisted transfer printing technology for high-resolution quantum dot light-emitting diode displays. Nature Electronics 9 , pp. 1046-1057. 10.1038/s41928-026-01670-9

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Abstract

Inorganic colloidal quantum dot light-emitting diodes could be used to build next-generation electroluminescent displays due to their colour properties and electrical stability. However, to create high-resolution and large-area displays, a pixel integration method is required, which can deposit quantum dot arrays on an active-matrix backplane and maintain uniformity and precision, without colour cross-contamination. Here we report a cracking-assisted transfer printing technology that can be used to pattern high-resolution full-colour pixel arrays over large areas. The technology uses a controlled cracking process to fracture interparticle cohesive bonds between quantum dots. This facilitates subsequent pick-up and transfer to a thin-film transistor backplane with high precision. With the technology, we achieve pixels down to a size of 600 nm with electroluminescent emission and uniform pixelization over areas up to 4 inches. We create a cadmium-free full-colour active-matrix display with a resolution of 341 pixels per inch, as well as a blue active-matrix display with a flexible form factor. Furthermore, the cracking-assisted transfer printing can improve electroluminescence performance—with higher maximum luminance and operational lifetime than other quantum dot patterning techniques—through precise nano-interface control and high quantum dot packing density.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Chemistry Schools > Physics and Astronomy
Publisher:	Nature Research
ISSN:	2520-1131
Funders:	Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2022-263)
Projects:	Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2022-263)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 July 2026
Date of Acceptance:	18 June 2026
Last Modified:	06 Oct 2026 10:56
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188296

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