Monolithic integration of sub-volt memristor-driven pixels for capacitorless active-matrix micro-LED displays

Abstract Active-matrix (AM) micro light-emitting diode (micro-LED) displays rely on transistors and capacitors, thereby limiting integration density, power efficiency, and manufacturing simplicity. While the monolithic integration of transistors onto micro-LED chips or complementary metal oxide semiconductor-based driving circuits has been investigated, these approaches still face challenges such as complex processing, unstable transistor performance, and dependence on capacitor-integrated thin-film transistor (TFT) backplanes. In this study, we present a capacitorless AM micro-LED display architecture driven by a germanium telluride memristor (GeTe memristor), monolithically integrated with the micro-LED chip. The GeTe memristor demonstrates multilevel switching, strong drive capability, and ultra-low operating voltages (SET < 0.2 V, RESET > −0.2 V) along with excellent thermal and electrical stability. Notably, its fabrication requires no thermal annealing, thus simplifying array-level integration compared to conventional TFT-based systems. Using the aforementioned architecture, we successfully demonstrated a capacitorless 12 × 12 AM micro-LED array capable of displaying alphabetic characters. This approach simplifies the manufacturing process and improves pixel density. Hence, the energy-efficient GeTe memristor offers a promising alternative to conventional TFT–capacitor configurations, thereby enabling the development of low-power, high-resolution display systems.