Scrona and Avantama Collaborate to Redefine Quantum Dot Processing with EHD High Patterning Resolution for Displays

The combination of Scrona's EHD process with Avantama's high-performance perovskite QDs will enable more efficient and price competitive MicroLED display technology

ZURICH, Jan. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scrona AG, the additive manufacturing startup and world record holder of the smallest ever printed color picture, and Avantama, a leader in high-tech materials for electronics, today announced that they have successfully processed high-performance quantum dot (QD) ink using Scrona's electrohydrodynamic (EHD) inkjet printing. This collaboration combines the benefits of the inkjet process with high-patterning resolution to drive a new generation of efficient and cost effective MicroLED displays, while also increasing color purity and brightness, and improving overall pixel production tact time. 

"We continue to find new applications of EHD that will meet the demands of the industry by offering an additive, completely waste-free process with higher resolution capabilities than lithography patterning," said Dr. Patrick Galliker, co-founder and CEO of Scrona. "While conventional inkjet printheads require inks of low viscosity, Scona has already demonstrated printing inks 1,000 times what they can process, paving the way for a much more efficient generation of MicroLED displays."

"Conventional inkjet printing is not a viable option for emerging MicroLED displays because they use much smaller pixels than QD-OLED displays," said Dr. Norman Lüchinger, co-founder and CTO at Avantama.  "By partnering with Scrona, we have been able to demonstrate that an OD greater than 1 can be obtained with a perovskite QD layer thickness below 2µm. This can reduce the printhead nozzle count by a factor of five and deliver a thin QD layer that improves the overall efficiency and production tact time of MicroLED display technology."

Scrona and Avantama Technology
Scrona print head technology processes QD inks using EHD inkjet printing, whereby droplets are ejected from a nozzle by electrostatic forces. By exposing the ink to an electric field that originates from the outside of the nozzle, ions are pulled to the liquid surface and then start to create mechanical stress on the liquid body. The density of ions at the surface are controlled by adjusting the intensity of the voltage that is used to create the electric field. The forces created inside the liquid are not uniform on the liquid surface, as is the case in traditional inkjet heads, but focus to the very center of the nozzle while the liquid is continuously pulled out. Droplet size can be controlled by the applied voltages, including droplets that are one order of magnitude smaller than the nozzle itself.

Avantama perovskite QDs having the highest absorption coefficients among QDs, allowing printing thinner pixels with good optical density that significantly reduces tact time.  Perovskite QDs have the highest weight-based absorption compared to others QDs, and this directly translates to very high OD/thickness values. One of the main reasons for this outstanding property is the inherently defect-tolerant nature of perovskites, that means a passivating shell is not required to enable high emission quantum yields.

About Scrona AG:
Scrona is a spin-off from ETH Zurich, one of the top 10 global research universities.  Scrona has developed the industry's first multi-nozzle 3D printing platform that can digitally print the impossible with sub-micrometer precision, on any material and at scale, improving and speeding manufacturing for today and tomorrow's products.  Scrona's patented electrostatic printing technology has the potential to transform manufacturing of semiconductor, display and many other products with its ability to reduce production steps 10-fold, while also significantly reducing materials, energy and water usage.  Learn more at www.Scrona.com

About Avantama
Avantama is a leader in high-tech materials for electronics. Its material innovations are used in optical and electronic coatings and its unique technology and know-how allows fast proof-of-concepts and focused product developments. This ensures minimizing time-to-market. Avantama's production capacity is at the multi-ton-scale and the company has been an audited materials supplier for electronics since 2016.  Learn more at https://avantama.com. 

Scrona Contact: 
Walter Braun, COO; [email protected]; +41 44 500 5093
Kelly Karr, Tanis Communications, [email protected]

Avantama Contact: 
Norman Lüchinger, CTO; [email protected]; +41 44 244 5100

SOURCE Scrona