• MicroLEDs, with pixels just micrometers across, have long been a byword in the display world. • Now, microLED-makers have begun shrinking their creations into the uncharted nano realm. • In January, a startup named Polar Light Technologies unveiled prototype blue LEDs less than 500 nanometers across. • This raises a tempting question: How far can LEDs shrink? • We know the answer is, at least, considerably smaller. • In the past year, two different research groups have demonstrated LED pixels at sizes of 100 nm or less.

Article Summaries:

  • MicroLED makers are pushing the limits of size, with several groups now demonstrating light‑emitting diodes (LEDs) at 100 nm or smaller. In January, Polar Light Technologies unveiled prototype blue LEDs under 500 nm, built from gallium nitride and indium gallium nitride using a bottom‑up hexagonal‑pyramid approach. Parallel research at ETH Zurich produced green OLED arrays as small as 100 nm via electron‑beam lithography, while Zhejiang University’s perovskite LEDs were shrunk to 90 nm. Though these nanoLEDs achieve record pixel densities-up to 100,000 ppi-they suffer from low efficiencies (5-13 % EQE). The work suggests that further miniaturization is possible, potentially enabling ultra‑high‑resolution displays and on‑chip photonics.
  • MicroLED makers are pushing pixel sizes from micrometers to the nanometer scale. In January, Polar Light Technologies unveiled prototype blue LEDs under 500 nm, using bottom‑up hexagonal pyramids built from GaN/InGaN. The company plans commercial production by late 2026 but has already fabricated 300‑nm pyramids, indicating the limit is not yet reached. Parallel research has produced LEDs as small as 100 nm or less: an ETH Zurich team fabricated 100‑nm green OLED arrays via electron‑beam lithography, while a Zhejiang University group created 90‑nm red and green perovskite LEDs. These ultra‑small devices promise ultra‑high‑resolution displays and on‑chip photonics, though efficiencies remain low (5-13 %).

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