Circularly polarized light-emitting diodes (CP-LEDs) are important for next-generation three-dimensional (3D) displays as the spin angular momentum carried by CP light provides wide viewing angle, low brightness loss, high contrast, and excellent fidelity. However, the simultaneous enhancement of the electroluminescence dissymmetry factor and external quantum efficiency (EQE) in CP-LEDs remains challenging. Here, we report blue, green, and red CP-LEDs, with dissymmetry factor of 1.54 and EQE of 6.1% for the red CP-LED, placing it among the best performing devices in this spectral window. The performance is enabled by achiral inorganic nanowire-based assemblies that simultaneously act as emissive layers of linearly polarised light and quarter-wave plates for conversion of the emitted light into CP light. We demonstrate an electrically programmable 64-pixel prototype display that allows differentiating the brightness difference between left and right CP electroluminescence by the naked eye through circular polarizers with excellent anti-glare effect. Our work marks a critical step toward the practical applications of CP-LEDs in 3D display.

Nat. Photon. (2026). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-026-01920-4