Quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) have attracted increasing attention due to their excellent electroluminescent properties and compatibility with inkjet printing processes, which show great potential in applications of pixelated displays. However, the relatively low resolution of the inkjet printing technology limits its further development. In this paper, high-resolution QLEDs were successfully fabricated by electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing. A pixelated quantum dot (QD) emission layer was formed by printing an insulating Teflon mesh on a spin-coated QD layer. The patterned QLEDs show a high resolution of 2540 pixels per inch (PPI), with a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 20.29% and brightness of 35816 cd/m2. To further demonstrate its potential in full-color display, the fabrication process for the QD layer was changed from spin-coating to EHD printing. The as-printed Teflon effectively blocked direct contact between the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer, thus preventing leakage currents. As a result, the device showed a resolution of 1692 PPI with a maximum EQE of 15.40%. To the best of our knowledge, these results represent the highest resolution and efficiency of pixelated QLEDs using inkjet printing or EHD printing, which demonstrates its huge potential in the application of high-resolution full-color displays.
Keywords: electrohydrodynamic printing; high performance; high resolution; light-emitting diode; quantum dots; teflon.