Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 148 (2022) 106790

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Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mssp

Synthesis of SiO2-coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots using various dispersants

in the photoresist for color-conversion micro-LED displays
Kai-Ping Chang a, Chung-Jui Wu a, Chih-Wei Lo a, Yu-Shan Lin a, Chao-Chun Yen a, Dong-
Sing Wuu a, b, c, *
a
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan
b
Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 40227, Taiwan
c
Department of Applied Materials and Optoelectronic Engineering, National Chi Nan University, Nantou, 54561, Taiwan

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Quantum dots (QDs) are a promising technology for next-generation display screens owing to their well-defined
Core–shell quantum dot and tunable emission wavelengths. However, QDs can chemically react with external environment, decreasing
Micro-LED display their photoluminescence efficiency and reliability. In addition, further work is needed on lithography techniques
Sol–gel method
to make QDs compatible with semiconductor manufacturing processes. In this study, silicon dioxide (SiO2)-
Photolithography process
coated cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide QDs are synthesized using tetraethoxysilane. The ratio of cadmium oxide
DBR
Black matrix to zinc acetate was tuned before coating the SiO2 passivation layer to adjust the emission wavelength of the QDs
between 520 and 625 nm. The SiO2 passivation layer not only enhanced the photoluminescence intensity (PLI)
by 69% but also effectively decelerated the fluorescence decay rate (<1% PLI decay after 100 h). In addition, the
hydrophilicity of the SiO2-coated QDs enabled them to integrate with appropriate dispersants and photoresist for
creating a 50-μm × 50-μm pixel on the color-conversion layer of a blue microlight emitting diode (micro-LED)
display. Finally, a structure of a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) was designed using TFCalc software. Subse­
quently, a DBR layer was deposited on the red–green QDs’ color-conversion layer to fabricate a full-color micro-
LED display.

1. Introduction micro-LEDs. However, it can produce a coffee-ring-type effect on the

The microlight emitting diode (micro-LED) is a new display tech­
nology that can be applied to automotive displays, wearable devices,
augmented/mixed reality, etc. In addition, it has the potential to
dominate next-generation high-resolution displays in future [1–4]. Be­
sides being thin and flexible, a micro-LED display offers the advantages
of easy circuit design, high color gamut saturation, unlimited display
size, and little crosstalk between colors. However, it is difficult to control
the yield of the mass transfer technology required to prepare red, green,
and blue chips for fabricating full-color micro-LED displays [5–9].
Therefore, the development of color-converting quantum dots (QDs) for
use in micro-LED displays has attracted increasing attention. However,
some challenges remain in integrating QD color-conversion layers to
LED displays. Typically, QDs oxidize and decay readily [10,11]. In
addition, QDs aggregate easily, resulting in high light variability and
low light conversion efficiency [12]. One of the methods to transfer QDs
involves the use of an inkjet to print QD solutions onto the pixels of
surface of micro-LEDs, leading to uneven colors that limit the applica­
tion of QDs in ultrahigh definition and high color saturation displays
[13]. Therefore, this study focuses on the combination of core–shell
QDs, barrier-encapsulated QDs, dispersion technology, and micro-LED
displays.
There are several ways to synthesize QDs using top-down or bottom-
up approaches. This study focuses on bottom-up approaches using
liquid-phase synthesis [14–17]. Herein, QDs are synthesized from a
cadmium selenide/zinc sulfide (CdSe/ZnS) core–shell structure. The
wavelength of the QDs was adjusted from 520 to 625 nm by changing
the ratio of Cd to Zn in the one-pot synthesis process. Further, several
methods have been reported for coating silicon dioxide (SiO2) and zir­
conium dioxide (ZrO2) on QDs to improve the reliability. For instance,
Mo et al. used a facile method to prepare ZrO2-coated CsPbBr3 QDs by
injecting Zr(OC4H9)4 into the CsPbBr3 QD solution [18]. A sol–gel re­
action using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the SiO2-coating precursor has
been reported that improved the optical performance and stability of

* Corresponding author. Department of Applied Materials and Optoelectronic Engineering, National Chi Nan University, Nantou 54561, Taiwan.
E-mail address: dsw@ncnu.edu.tw (D.-S. Wuu).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2022.106790
Received 8 March 2022; Received in revised form 19 April 2022; Accepted 4 May 2022
Available online 20 May 2022
1369-8001/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
K.-P. Chang et al.
Fig. 1. (a) Schematic flow diagram of the CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) being coated with SiO2 and (b) the preparation of QD–photoresist (QD–PR) solutions using
propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), cyclopentanone (CPN), or gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).
Cs3Cu2Cl5 QDs [19]. Moreover, the hydrolysis of APTES was realized
through the interaction between 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES)
and the QD surfaces to form SiO2 [20]. This facile one-step room-­
temperature process was completed in air without the protection of an
inert gas or the incorporation of water from hydrolysis.
In this study, to modify the emission wavelength of the CdSe/ZnS
QDs from green to red, we adopted a two-step process involving a sol­
–gel method using TEOS. Once the QDs are synthesized, the SiO2 pro­
duced by TEOS hydrolysis is coated onto the outside of the core–shell
QDs using the sol–gel method [21] to protect them from degradation by
hydrolysis or oxidation. Then, the surface of the SiO2-coated QDs is
modified. The SiO2-coated QDs laden with surface hydrophilic func­
tional groups are dispersed in a polar solvent, facilitating the mixing of
negative photoresist (PR) and the QDs.
The red and green QDs coated with SiO2 are dispersed in a negative,
high-contrast epoxy-based PR (SU-8 3010) using propylene glycol
methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), cyclopentanone (CPN), or gamma-
butyrolactone (GBL) as dispersants to create QD–PR solutions for
lithography. The polymer dispersibility index (PDI) of the three QD–PR
solutions is measured using zeta potential to select the optimal disper­
sant [22]. Subsequently, micro-QD–PR pixels are created using I-line
lithographic techniques. The insertion of a black matrix reduces the light
crosstalk effect. However, it has been observed that most of the blue
light produced by a micro-LED can penetrate the QD–PR color-­
conversion layer and eliminate any red and green light due to its high
excitation intensity. Therefore, it is necessary to use a color filter on the
patterned pixels of the QDs. Furthermore, this study demonstrates a
distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) that can be used as a blue light filter.
Most of the unabsorbed blue light can be filtered and reflected to
improve the color purity of the full-color display [23–26]. The simula­
tions are performed using TFCalc software, and the reflection and
transmission properties are verified using photoluminescence (PL)
spectroscopy. A 23-layer DBR is fabricated on the red and green QD–PR
pixels to reflect blue light from the excitation source. Thus, only red and
green light can penetrate the DBR layer. The optimized DBR layer shows
that the reflectivity of red and green light is only 3.15% and 1.76%,
respectively, whereas the reflectivity of blue light could reach 99.08%.
This method with set parameters significantly reduced backlight pene­
tration. Finally, the patterned QD–PR color-conversion layer with a DBR
layer is bonded to a blue micro-LED display to realize monochrome or
area color and full-color micro-LED displays.
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Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 148 (2022) 106790
2. Experimental procedure
2.1. Preparation of the quantum dots
In this study, growth temperature, time, and elemental proportions
were adjusted during liquid-phase chemical synthesis of QDs to control
their size and emission wavelengths. The ratios of cadmium oxide (CdO)
to zinc acetate (Zn(OAc)2) were 0.2:4.0, 0.5:4.0, 1.0:3.5, and 1.5:3.0.
For the reaction, CdO and Zn(OAc)2 were placed in a four-necked round
flask with oleic acid (OA). The mixture was heated to 150 ◦ C and
degassed for 30 min. Then, 25 mL of 1-octadecene was added to the
flask, and the solution was further heated to 300 ◦ C under an argon
stream until it became transparent. Then, trioctylphosphine (TOP) and
selenium (Se) precursors were quickly injected. After 2.5 min, 1-dodec­
anethiol (DDT) was added. After the reaction, the solution was main­
tained at 300 ◦ C for 20 min, the prepared TOP and sulfur (S) precursors
were added, and the temperature was maintained at 300 ◦ C for 10 min to
grow the QDs. Next, toluene was added to stop the reaction. Then, the
QDs were precipitated in ethanol and acetone and centrifuged at 7000
rpm to pelletize the QDs for subsequent analysis and experimental use.
2.2. Preparation of the silicon dioxide-coated quantum dots
If the QDs are not appropriately covered with a protective layer, their
lifetime is significantly reduced on exposure to water vapor or oxygen
and the original brightness cannot be maintained at high temperatures.
Therefore, the sol–gel method was used to coat the outside of the QDs
with SiO2 for isolating them from the oxygen and moisture in the at­
mosphere. In addition, the modified functional groups on the surface of
the QDs are destroyed in an alkaline environment, causing defects that
decay the photoluminescence intensity (PLI). Therefore, DDT and OA
were added to modify the surface of the QDs. The precursor TEOS was
hydrolyzed to coat QDs with SiO2 in an alkaline environment. The flow
diagram of the experimental procedure is shown in Fig. 1(a). First, the
newly prepared and dried QDs were removed from the centrifuge tube
and dispersed into cyclohexane. The container carrying the QDs and
cyclohexane was shaken in an ultrasonic bath until the QDs were
completely dispersed and free of aggregates. Then, the surfactant, CO-
520, was added to the QD suspension, and the mixture was shaken in
the ultrasonic bath for additional 30 min. Subsequently, TEOS was
added, and the mixture was shaken for another 30 min. Next, the
mixture was stirred and ammonium hydroxide was added. After 16 h of
stirring, the synthesis of SiO2-coated QDs was complete. The QDs were
K.-P. Chang et al.
Fig. 2. Production process of the QD color filters. (a) The production procedure for the black matrix as well as (b) red and (c) green QD color filters using the QD–PR
solutions and photolithography system.
Fig. 3. Schematic flow diagram of the deposition and patterning of the DBR layer.
precipitated by adding acetone and ethanol due to their different po­
larities and centrifuged. Then, the precipitates of QDs were pelletized
and stored for subsequent use.
2.3. Embedding silicon dioxide-coated quantum dots into photoresist
dispersants
The functional groups on QDs are nonpolar; therefore, they can only
be dispersed in nonpolar solvents (e.g., toluene, cyclohexane, and
chloroform). Therefore, in this experiment the SiO2-coated QDs were
mixed with the PR SU-8 3010. The flow diagram for this procedure is
shown in Fig. 1(b). First, the centrifugally dried QDs were dispersed and
wet ground in several dispersants, including PGMEA, CPN, and GBL, for
30 min. Then, the QD suspensions were poured into a bottle and
dispersed uniformly in the solvents by ultrasonic vibrating for 30 min.
Next, the negative PR SU-8 3010 was then added to the suspensions,
which were ultrasonically vibrated for additional 30 min, to obtain the
uniformly dispersed SiO2-coated QDs in the PR without precipitation.
2.4. Quantum dot photolithography technique
In general, optical crosstalk occurs regularly between different
colored pixels. Therefore, a black matrix is applied onto the QDs’
spacing pattern to prevent lateral interference of the produced light. As
shown in Fig. 2(a), first, the black PR is spin coated onto an 18 mm × 18
mm glass substrate. After exposure and development, 50-μm × 50-μm
pixel-sized holes were formed. Subsequently, the QD–PR solutions were
evenly coated onto the glass substrate (Fig. 2(b) and (c)). Then, the
coated substrates were baked to dry the PR films at 65 ◦ C for 10 min and
then at 95 ◦ C for 20 min. Next, the dried PR films were exposed to a 365-
nm light. Finally, the samples were developed using an RER-600
developer to produce 50-μm × 50-μm QD–PR pixels.
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Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 148 (2022) 106790
2.5. Patterned quantum dot–photoresist with a distributed bragg reflector
structure on a microlight emitting diode display
An electron beam evaporator was used to alternately deposit 5.5
pairs of titanium oxide (TiO2)/SiO2 on a glass substrate to obtain the
DBR layer. Then, as shown in Fig. 3, the DBR layer on the glass was
defined using photolithography and etched using the buffered oxide
etchant. The defined areas where blue light could penetrate from the
sapphire to the glass substrate were removed. In addition, the black PR
was coated on the substrate and exposed to develop a black matrix for
reducing light crosstalk. Then, the red and green QD–PR solutions were
spin coated onto the glass substrate, and a pixel area of 50 μm × 50 μm
was defined using photolithography to create the color-conversion
structures. Next, the color-conversion structures were adhesively lami­
nated onto the blue micro-LEDs using 365-nm exposure and liquid op­
tical glue. Finally, the QD–PR patterns (50 μm × 50 μm) on the glass
substrates with the DBR layers were adhesively laminated onto the blue
micro-LEDs using 365-nm exposure and liquid optical glue.
2.6. Materials’ analysis
The morphology and size of the QDs were investigated using high-
resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM; JEM-2100F,
JEOL Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) with an accelerating voltage of 200 kV. The
particle-size distributions were further analyzed using the ImageJ soft­
ware and built-in function called “Particle Analyzer.” In the algorithm,
this function serves to detect separated regions in the threshold image
and compute statistical data from these regions. To determine the crystal
structure of the QDs, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were recorded
using a Bruker D8 Advance diffractometer (Bruker AXS, Inc., Madison,
WI, USA) over the 2θ scanning range from 10◦ to 70◦ at a scanning rate
of 2◦ /min. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) values and PL
spectra were obtained using a HORIBA Jobin Yvon, FluoroMax 4 Sys­
tem. In the PLQY measurement process, a QD–PR sample was loaded
into a sphere that was coated with a reflective barium sulfate–based film
K.-P. Chang et al. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 148 (2022) 106790

Fig. 4. (a) X-ray diffraction patterns and (b) PL spectra of the QDs with different mole ratios of Cd/Zn. (c) The influence of the different CdO/Zn(act)2 contents on the
PL spectra of the QDs. The transmission electron microscope images and size distributions of the QDs with (d) 0.2 mM, (e) 1 mM, and (f) 1.5 mM of CdO.

to capture all the light entering and exiting the sphere. The PLQY can be
calculated using the following equation [27]:
Ec − (1 − A) × Ea Ec − Ea
PL ​ QY ​ = = (1)
La × A La − Lc

where A is the absorbance of the sample at the excitation wavelength, Ec

is the fluorescence emission area in the PL spectrum, Ea is the integrated
Fig. 5. Hydrolysis of TEOS.
luminescence from the sample caused by indirect luminescence from the
sphere, La is the scatter intensity area of the blank, and Lc is the scatter
intensity area of the sample. et al. OA, stearic acid, and dodecyl mercaptan were added before coating
with SiO2 to protect the QDs, achieving a defect-free coating process
[21]. In this study, the functional groups on the QDs were modified
3. Results and discussion
before coating with SiO2. As is shown in Fig. 5, the coating of QDs with
SiO2 required the hydrolysis of TEOS under alkaline conditions, which
Fig. 4(a) shows the XRD peaks of the ZnS and ZnSe in the QDs con­
damages the outer functional groups of the uncoated QDs. Therefore, OA
taining different concentrations of Cd. The intensity of the ZnS and ZnSe
and DDT formed a protective layer to prevent external defects and
gradually increased, which can be attributed to the increasing thickness
degradation of the QDs caused by the alkaline conditions present during
of the ZnS/ZnSe shell. Fig. 4(b) and (c) show that the PL emission
SiO2 coating.
wavelength redshifted with increasing Cd concentration in the QDs. This
After coating with SiO2 for 24 h, the QDs that were not pretreated
can be attributed to the different reaction rates of different elements
with DDT showed aggregation (Fig. 6(a)). Although the QDs were coated
during the synthesis of QDs based on the hard–soft acid–base theory. In
with SiO2, the aggregates with thick SiO2 shells were considerably large
general, the anion of OA provides an electron pair; therefore, the Lewis
to disperse in the PR; thus, they were unsuitable for the photolithog­
acid zinc ion (Zn2+) can form Zn(OA)2, which is more stable than Cd
raphy process and micro-LED applications. However, the QDs pretreated
(OA)2 [28,29]. The TOP and S can also form a relatively stable complex,
with DDT and OA showed good dispersal and stability (Fig. 6(b)).
TOP–S, which has a higher thermal stability and decomposition tem­
Therefore, coating the QDs with SiO2 improves their ability to disperse
perature than TOP–Se. Therefore, based on the kinetic rates, the order of
in solvents without aggregation, effectively prevents defects, and in­
compound formation in QDs is CdSe > CdS > ZnSe > ZnS [30,31]. After
creases their luminescence lifetime.
injecting the precursors into the four-necked bottle, the core of the CdSe
Fig. 7(a) shows the PLI of the SiO2-coated QDs without DDT pre­
and CdS first forms. The ZnS and ZnSe shell formed when Cd ceased to
treatment. The PLI decreased after the SiO2 coating was completed
react. The QDs with low Cd content had smaller core than those with
because of the damage to the TOP and OA on the surface of the QDs in
high Cd content. Based on the quantum confinement effect, the bandgap
the absence of DDT. The optical properties of the QDs slowly deterio­
of the QD core will decrease, redshifting the QDs’ emission wavelength.
rated during encapsulation. As shown in Fig. 7(b), the PLI of the SiO2-
The HRTEM images and size distributions of the QDs are shown in Fig. 4
coated QDs pretreated with DDT was enhanced. Here, DDT can passivate
(d)–4(f). When the Cd content reached the maximum, large amounts of
the hard-acid Zn2+ on the CdSe/ZnS surface and improve the quality of
CdSe and CdS were formed [21].
the ZnS shell [32]. Subsequently, during the preparation of the SiO2-­
To improve the lifetime of the QDs and mix them with negative PR,
coated QDs, the CdSe/ZnS QDs were placed in an alkaline environment
they were coated with SiO2 using the sol–gel method proposed by Marìa

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K.-P. Chang et al. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 148 (2022) 106790

Fig. 6. TEM images of the SiO2-coated QDs (a) without and (b) with the OA/DDT pretreatment.

Fig. 7. PL spectra of the QDs with and without SiO2 (a) without and (b) with DDT pretreatment. (c) The trend of the PL intensity of the QDs at 85 ◦ C/90% relative
humidity for 420 h. (d) The quantum yields (QYs) of the red QD (R-QD) and green QD (G-QD) before and after the aging test.

to hydrolyze the TEOS and produce the SiO2 layer. In the process
without DDT, the defect-rich ZnS shell was formed, but it cannot
effectively protect the QDs in the alkaline environment, in which the
SiO2 coating was processed. Hence, the PLI of the SiO2-coated QDs
without DDT pretreatment was lower than that of the DDT-pretreated
SiO2-coated QDs.
To verify the sealable air- and water-barrier characteristics of the
QDs with and without the SiO2 passivation layer and their luminescence
lifetime at high temperatures, the luminescence characteristics of the
QDs were tested at 85 ◦ C and 90% relative humidity. The PLI of the QDs
without the SiO2 passivation layer decreased to 28.6% after 100 h of the
aging test (Fig. 7(c)). However, the SiO2-coated QDs retained 98.5% of
their PLI after 400 h of the aging test. As is shown in Fig. 7(d), the
quantum yields (QYs) of the red and green QDs without SiO2 coating
were 88.97% and 90.36%, respectively. After 400 h of the high-
temperature and humidity-aging test, their QYs decreased to 3.84%
and 4.61%, respectively. The QYs of the SiO2-coated red and green QDs
with the DDT/OA treatment were better at 94.71% and 96.44%,
respectively. This can be attributed to the passivation of the QDs by SiO2
for preventing defects. Due to the larger bandgap of SiO2 (8.9 eV), the
photoexcited electron− hole pairs were confined in the QD’s core, which
can suppress charge recombination on the QD surface and improve the
PLI. The CdSe/ZnS QDs’ energy band structure with SiO2 will resemble
the type-I structure, in which minute electron–hole separation occurs.
The type-I QD heterostructure would be beneficial for color micro-LED
applications because the outer shell of type-I QDs with large bandgap
materials can act as a passivating layer to deal with redundant dangling
bonds and suppress nonradiative recombination [33]. Hence, SiO2 with
a bandgap of 8.9 eV might improve the emission efficiency. After 400 h
of the high-temperature and humidity-aging test, the QYs of the red and
green QDs coated with SiO2 decayed to 86.27% and 88.69%,
respectively.
The QDs were coated with SiO2 to not only increase their lifetime but
also to make them more hydrophilic, so that they disperse in polar sol­
vents and mix well with dispersants and PR. In this regard, three dis­
persants were selected: CPN, PGMEA, and GBL. The zeta potential of the
QDs in these dispersants was measured to estimate the stability of the
dispersion due to the charges on the surface of the colloidal particles that

5
K.-P. Chang et al.
Table 1
Synthesis conditions of the quantum dots (QDs) with photoresist (PR) and three
dispersants: propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), cyclopentanone
(CPN), and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).
PGMEA CPN GBL
Dielectric constant 12.3 14.45 39
SU-8 content 2.0 g 2.0 g 2.0 g
QDs content 100 mg 100 mg 100 mg
Dispersant content 0.4 g 0.4 g 0.4 g
Pixel yield 91.6% 80.5% 100%
Optical microscope
image
could result in mutual exclusion. According to the measurements, the
zeta potential of all the dispersants was less than 30, suggesting an un­
stable dispersion. Therefore, the PDI was used to evaluate the three
dispersants. The PDI investigations indicated that the dispersion of the
QDs in CPN was the worst (PDI = 0.516), in PGMEA it was intermediate
(PDI = 0.386), and in GBL it was the best (PDI = 0.314). Consequently,
GBL was chosen as the best dispersant.
The dispersion of the QDs in the solvent was also affected by the
dielectric constant of the dispersant because the larger the dielectric
constant, the greater the polarity of the solvent. However, the original
lipophilic functional groups of TOP and OA on the surface of the QDs
were replaced with hydrophilic hydroxyl (–OH) groups when the QDs
were coated with SiO2. Therefore, the SiO2-coated QDs can be dispersed
in polar solvents. Here the dielectric constants of the three dispersants
were compared. Then, the SiO2-coated QDs and dispersants were mixed
with the negatively charged SU-8 PR to produce patterned 50-μm × 50-
μm pixels using photolithography. As summarized in Table 1, the
dielectric constants of PGMEA, CPN, and GBL are 12.3, 14.45, and 39,
respectively. According to the dielectric constants, the order of the po­
larity will be GBL > CPN > PGMEA. Therefore, the SiO2-coated QDs
should disperse better in GBL. Then, the PR SU-8 3010 was mixed with
the dispersants and SiO2-coated QDs to form the QD–PR. The pixel yield
of the QD–PR using GBL was better than those prepared using other
dispersants.
When the blue micro-LED was used as a backlight to excite the
patterned QD–PR, the intensity of the blue light from the micro-LED was
extremely high, which penetrated the film of the QD–PR, resulting in
excitation of red and green light from the red and green QD–PR pixels
via blue light contamination. Therefore, the DBR layer plays a crucial
role in reflecting and recycling the blue light from the red and green
QD–PR pixels. The DBR (TiO2/SiO2) layer was first simulated using
TFCalc software. Fig. 8(a) shows that in the simulation, 99% of the blue
Fig. 8. (a) Simulated and experimental reflectance of the 5.5 pairs of distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) layer as a function of wavelength. (b) The PLI of the glass with
and without the DBR layer. Inset: A schematic of the PL measuring instrument and optical microscope images of the QD color filter on the blue micro-LED display
with or without the DBR layer. The PLI of the blue micro-LEDs with (c) green QD–PR and (d) red QD–PR color conversion.
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Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 148 (2022) 106790
light (455 nm) was reflected. Thus, red and green light can penetrate
smoothly with almost no reflection. After coating the DBR layer using an
electron beam evaporator, the reflectivity of the blue light was 98.44%.
The reflectivity of the green (530 nm) and red (630 nm) light was 6.2%
and 2.3%, respectively. Fig. 8(b) shows the PL spectra of glass with and
without the DBR layer at an excitation wavelength of 455 nm. The glass
with the DBR layer shows an almost 100% PLI relative to the glass
without the DBR layer (0.92%). The inset of Fig. 8(b) shows the optical
microscope images of the QD color filter on the blue micro-LED display
with and without the DBR layer. Blue light is significant because it can
penetrate through the red and green QD–PR pixels and reduce the
relative intensity of the red and green light. However, the intensity of the
red and green light can be enhanced by covering the DBR layer.
Therefore, the QD color-converting-LED display with a DBR layer can
improve the reduced red and green light output.
The integration of the patterned QD–PR pixels and the DBR layer
using optical liquid glue enabled the production of a monochrome/area
color micro-LED display. Subsequently, an optical profiler was used to
measure the uniformity of the light and the crosstalk effect. Fig. 9(a) and
9(b) show the zone color display of green and red light, respectively.
The light emitted from each pixel is uniform, and the pixels are well
separated by the black matrix. To create a full-color display, the red and
green QD–PR solutions were spin coated on the glass with the DBR layer.
After photolithography, the color-conversion structure was bonded to
the blue micro-LED display. The optical microscope images show the
three primary colors, red, green, and blue (RGB), as shown in Fig. 9(c).
In the chromaticity diagram in Fig. 9(d), the overlapped area of the RGB
micro-LED in the Rec. 2020 standard area is 88.74%. Thus, this LED will
be useful for future display applications. Fig. 9(e) shows the relative
luminance percentage of the micro-LED, which is very stable after a 500-
h aging test. After applying the QD color filter layer on the blue micro-
LED display, it still shows thermal stability with <15% luminance decay
rate after the 500-h aging test.
4. Conclusions
The QDs with different core–shell structures were manufactured to
emit wavelengths between 525 and 625 nm by adjusting the proportions
of CdO, Zn(OAc)2, S, and Se. The SiO2 passivation layer was coated on
the surface of the QDs. Consequently, the QDs exhibited excellent
thermal stability with <1.5% PLI decay after 150 h. In addition, coating
the QDs with SiO2 made them hydrophilic, allowing them to integrate
with PR and dispersants. The optimized QD–PR is patterned and com­
bined with the DBR layer to improve the selectivity of blue light from the
micro-LED backlight. This is a suitable approach for realizing mono­
chrome/area color and full-color micro-LED display applications.
K.-P. Chang et al.
Fig. 9. Optical and fluorescence images of the (a) green, (b) red, and (c) red/green QD–PR pixels with the blue micro-LED (pixel size 50 μm × 50 μm) backlight. (d)
The chromaticity diagram of the red, green, and blue QD–PR pixels on a micro-LED display. (e) The luminance percentage trend of the blue micro-LED display with
and without QD–PR pixels at 85 ◦ C/90% relative humidity (RH) for 500 h.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Kai-Ping Chang: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original
draft, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation. Chung-Jui Wu:
Writing – original draft, Investigation, Data curation. Chih-Wei Lo:
Investigation, Data curation. Yu-Shan Lin: Investigation, Data curation.
Chao-Chun Yen: Investigation, Data curation. Dong-Sing Wuu:
Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Project administration, Inves­
tigation, Conceptualization.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgments
The work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology,
Taiwan under the Grant Nos. 108-2221-E-005-072-MY3, 108-2811-E-
005-512-MY3, 110-2218-E-A49-012-MBK and 111-2218-E-A49-019-
MBK. The authors also wish to express their sincere gratitude for the
support provided by the “Innovation and Development Center of Sus­
tainable Agriculture” from The Featured Areas Research Center Program
within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the
Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan.
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