3D-printed mesoporous-silica-confined perovskite quantum dot micro-optics for geometry-tailored color conversion in micro-LED displays

Abstract

The realization of high-performance color conversion micrometer-scale light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) is fundamentally limited by the planar thin-film geometry of current color-conversion layers (CCLs), leading to low light extraction efficiency, severe optical crosstalk, and restricted emission control. Here, we report a scalable strategy to engineer high-performance three-dimensional (3D) CCLs via digital light processing (DLP) printing of mesoporous-silica-confined perovskite quantum dots (PQDs). The CsPbBr₃ PQDs, uniformly grown inside mesopores, are embedded in photocurable resins, achieving an internal quantum efficiency of 72.4%, external quantum efficiency of 64.6%, and exceptional environmental stability over 40 days without degradation. Optical simulations reveal that 3D architectures such as hemispheres, cylinders and cones offer geometry-tailored emission profiles unachievable by planar films, enabling tunable trade-offs between pixel-plane irradiance and far-field angular distribution. The proof-of-concept DLP-printed micro-hemispherical arrays exhibit uniform geometry and homogeneous QD distribution, making them suitable for integration with micro-LED chips (<50 µm). This approach transforms micro-LED color conversion from uncontrolled thin films to deterministic 3D structures, paving the way for high-efficiency, low-crosstalk pixels in AR/VR, wearable, and projection displays.