Scientists have successfully shrunk OLED pixels to the nanoscale, paving the way for a new phase in wearable displays.
Historically, shrinking display LEDs has been challenging due to the tendency of small LEDs to fail when current concentrates at their corners, resulting in short circuits.
Physicists have now overcome this obstacle by creating the world's smallest working light pixel, demonstrating how future displays for smart glasses and other wearables can become significantly smaller while remaining bright and stable.
The team achieved this breakthrough by constructing the new pixel using an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) combined with an optical antenna.
In conventional OLEDs, attempts to miniaturize pixels result in uneven current flow, which damages the device.
The research team from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in Germany addressed this issue by designing a novel structure that regulates current distribution within the diode while amplifying the light output.
Author's summary: Scientists create smallest OLED pixels.