Scientists have successfully shrunk OLED pixels to the nanoscale, paving the way for a new generation of wearable displays.
A major challenge in shrinking display LEDs has been the tendency of small LEDs to fail due to current concentration at their corners, resulting in short circuits.
However, physicists have now overcome this hurdle by creating the world's smallest working light pixel, demonstrating how future displays for smart glasses and other wearables can be made smaller, yet remain bright and stable.
The team from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in Germany achieved this breakthrough by combining an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with an optical antenna, and designing a new structure that controls current spread and strengthens light output.
Their research shows how future displays for smart glasses and other wearables can become much smaller while remaining bright and stable.
Author's summary: Scientists create smallest OLED pixels for wearables.