Metasurface-driven OLED displays beyond 10,000 pixels per inch

TLDR

Metasurface‑based OLED microdisplays are widely used in high‑resolution TVs and handheld devices, yet typical pixel densities of a few hundred pixels per inch are insufficient for near‑eye applications that require several thousand pixels per inch, a demand unmet by current display technologies. The authors engineered a tunable metasurface back‑reflector to create a full‑color, high‑brightness OLED display. The resulting display achieves 10,000 pixels per inch, meeting the density needed for next‑generation microdisplays on glasses or contact lenses. Joo et al., Science, this issue p.

Abstract

Metasurface-based microdisplays Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have found wide application in high-resolution, large-area televisions and the handheld displays of smartphones and tablets. With the screen located some distance from the eye, the typical number of pixels per inch is in the region of hundreds. For near-eye microdisplays—for example, in virtual and augmented reality applications—the required pixel density runs to several thousand pixels per inch and cannot be met by present display technologies. Joo et al. developed a full-color, high-brightness OLED design based on an engineered metasurface as a tunable back-reflector. An ultrahigh density of 10,000 pixels per inch readily meets the requirements for the next-generation microdisplays that can be fabricated on glasses or contact lenses. Science , this issue p. 459