Princeton creates a custom 3D printer that prints quantum dot LEDs from scratch | ExtremeTech
Originally shared by Rob Jongschaap
Princeton creates a custom 3D printer that prints quantum dot LEDs from scratch | ExtremeTech
'…The 3D printer works in a similar fashion to 3D printers that rely on plastic, but on a much smaller scale. It lays down a single layer of the LED, then moves up to add the next one composed of a different material. When the five-layer stack is complete, it’s a functional quantum dot LED. Quantum dot LEDs are in some ways quite similar to the LEDs used in current smartphones and lightbulbs, but again, smaller. This is why many electronics firms are looking toward quantum dots as the future of display technology.
If you’re looking for a current analog of quantum dots, it’d be AMOLED. A quantum dot screen only uses power when displaying a color, and can shut unneeded pixels completely off. The difference, however, is that a quantum dot LED can display a wide range of colors without the degradation or vulnerability to humidity and oxidation of LEDs and AMOLEDs. The problem has always been how to go about making these tiny LEDs, but the 3D printer build at Princeton seems rather capable for a first try.
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