3D quantum dot-lens fabricated by stereolithographic printing with in-situ UV curing for lighting and displays

3D polymer/quantum dots (QDs) nanocomposite QD-lens is fabricated by stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer with in-situ UV curing system. Various UV-curable polymer precursors are mixed with QDs to investigate their printability and optical performance. 2D QD-thin film and 3D QD-lens are printed and attached to a blue InGaN chip to form a light-emitting diode (LED) device. An air gap between the 3D QD-lens and the chip provides more uniform light emission at different angles and better heat dissipation. Compared with conventional QD-on-chip LED, the 3D QD-lens LED operated at 20 mA has ∼100% enhancement of half-lifetime (T50) in a standard reliability test. The LED T50 can be further improved 75% by coating the QD-lens with hydrophobic parylene as a gas barrier layer against water and oxygen. By mixing both green- (G-) and red- (R-) QDs in the 3D QD-lens, a white light-emitting 3D QD-lens LED is demonstrated to possess a color gamut of ∼130% NTSC standard.