Scientists from Hangzhou, together with colleagues from the University of Cambridge, have developed an LED display smaller than a grain of sand. Its pixels, created from II-V semiconductors, are only 90 nanometers wide — that is, they are no larger than a virus, Interesting Engineering notes.

At the same time, the team achieved a density of 127,000 pixels per inch, which is much higher than modern screens. Creating such small LEDs is a complex and expensive task. The human eye distinguishes a sharpness of up to 576 megapixels, and exceeding this limit is not always justified. New LEDs (nano-PeLEDs) solve this problem: they are bright and do not burn out quickly, unlike traditional ones.

These pixels can be used for augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, and next-generation smartphones. However, there are limitations: perovskite LEDs are still monochrome, and full-color versions are needed to compete with modern screens. It is also unknown how long they will last in real devices. Scientists plan to improve the technology to eliminate these shortcomings.