A new process has been developed by researchers to create ultrathin, ultrasmall light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Scientists at the University of Illinois claim that the LEDs can be assembled into a large LED array, which can be printed onto flexible substrates such as glass, plastic and rubber.
The LED assemblies can also be see-through and can be transferred in large numbers as part of a thin wafer in one step of a manufacturing process, scientists claim.
Commenting on the new process, which is outlined in an article in the journal Science, Illinois professor of materials science and engineering John Rogers explained that the new process can be used to create general lighting and high-resolution display systems.
He said: "Our goal is to marry some of the advantages of inorganic LED technology with the scalability, ease of processing and resolution of organic LEDs.
"The stamping process provides a much faster alternative to the standard robotic 'pick and place' process that manipulates inorganic LEDs one at a time."
Earlier this week it was announced that 300 traffic light junctions across London are set to be installed with LEDs.
Some 3,500 traffic lights will be made more environmentally-friendly as a result, the capital's mayor Boris Johnson announced.