Surface chemistry stabilized photolithography for high-resolution quantum dot electronic and optoelectronic devices
Integrating colloidal quantum dots (QDs) and nanocrystals (NCs) into electronic devices remains challenging because of the harsh photolithography chemical conditions. A functional photoresist (F-PR) incorporating photoactive chemicals, stabilizers, and ligands was developed to enable high-resolution patterning of QD/NC films. This approach enables high-resolution photolithography of QDs/NCs while maintaining their morphological and optoelectronic properties, as the stabilizers in the F-PR suppress ligand detachment and surface degradation during processing. Based on the F-PR patterning, QD patterns with a 4,200 pixels per inch resolution were obtained. The devices fabricated in this study included n-type thin-film transistors with electron mobilities exceeding 1.1 cm2 V−1 s−1, photodetectors with responsivities of 3.98 A W−1, and wearable sensors exhibiting gauge factors of 23.9 ± 4.1 and thermal coefficients of resistance exceeding 1.0 × 10−3 K−1. A light-emitting diode with a luminance and external quantum efficiency of 198,576cd m−2 and 21.58 %, respectively, highlight the versatility of F-PRs for next-generation optoelectronic applications.

