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Advances in understanding quantum dot light-emitting diodes

Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering volume 1, pages 412–425 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) are attractive for display and lighting applications owing to their high colour rendering index, their low-cost solution processability and their ability to achieve simultaneous high brightness and near-unity internal quantum efficiency at low voltages. Since 1994, tremendous progress has been made in improving the external quantum efficiency and lifetimes of QD-LEDs, and there has been growing understanding of the operational and degradation mechanisms. However, there are still critical problems that remain to be clarified, such as the origin of positive ageing and the role of zinc oxide nanoparticles in achieving high performance. In this Review, we analyse the key factors influencing voltage, internal quantum and photon out-coupling efficiencies of QD-LEDs. We point out the issues related to cadmium-free quantum dots and short-lifetime blue QD-LEDs. Finally, we clarify the challenges and summarize the latest progress in commercializing QD-LEDs.

Key points

  • Quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) convert electrical energy into light through the recombination of electrons and holes in quantum dots.

  • QD-LEDs are one of the most promising contenders for future display technologies owing to their colour accuracy, high brightness and low-cost solution processability.

  • Commercialization of QD-LED technology is facing several challenges, such as emission efficiency, stability and the short lifetime of blue QD-LEDs.

  • An in-depth understanding of the fundamental operational mechanism is imperative to addressing the current challenges in commercializing QD-LEDs.

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Fig. 1: Voltage efficiencies in QD-LEDs.
Fig. 2: Photon out-coupling efficiency of QD-LEDs.
Fig. 3: Origins of the efficiency gap between PL and electroluminescence.
Fig. 4: Possible degradation mechanism of QD-LEDs.
Fig. 5: Cadmium-free QD-LEDs.
Fig. 6: Consistency and stability issues induced by ZnO nanoparticles and challenges in inkjet-printed QD-LEDs.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants U22A2072, 62204078), Chinese Academy of Sciences (grants XDC07000000, GJJSTD20200001, QYZDY-SSW-SLH004) and Anhui Initiative in Quantum Information Technologies (grant AHY050000). They thank S. Wang at Macau University, K. Wang at Southern University of Science and Technology, and X. Lin at Zhejiang University for helpful discussions.

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Bo Li, Fei Chen.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Microscale Magnetic Resonance and School of Physical Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

    Bo Li, Huaiyu Xu, Xiaohan Yan & Fengjia Fan

  2. Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China

    Bo Li, Huaiyu Xu, Xiaohan Yan & Fengjia Fan

  3. Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for High-efficiency Display and Lighting Technology, Henan University, Kaifeng, China

    Fei Chen, Qiulei Xu & Huaibin Shen

  4. State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China

    Yang Song

  5. TCL Corporate Research, Shenzhen, China

    Longjia Wu, Yiran Yan, Wenjun Hou & Weiran Cao

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Contributions

B.L. and F.C. contributed equally. B.L., F.C., H.X, Y.S., X.Y., Q.X., H.S. and F.F. researched data for the article. B.L., F.F. and H.S. wrote the article and all the authors substantially contributed to the scientific discussion. B.L., F.C., H.X., Y.S., X.Y., H.S. and F.F. reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Huaibin Shen or Fengjia Fan.

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Li, B., Chen, F., Xu, H. et al. Advances in understanding quantum dot light-emitting diodes. Nat Rev Electr Eng 1, 412–425 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44287-024-00059-0

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