Researchers at ETH Zurich have manufactured organic light-emitting diodes at the nanoscale, shrinking pixel sizes by several orders of magnitude. Jiwoo Oh, a doctoral student, reports the smallest pixel diameters are around 100 nanometres, about 50 times smaller than today’s best pixels. In a single step the team increased maximum pixel density by roughly 2,500 times, and they demonstrated an ETH Zurich logo made of 2,800 nano-OLEDs, with logo pixels near 200 nanometres each.
The group used the physics that appears when pixels sit closer than half a light wavelength: at visible wavelengths (about 200–400 nanometres) nearby pixels no longer act independently but their waves interact. The researchers exploited these interactions to steer emitted light into particular angles instead of radiating it in all directions. This makes the nano-pixels suitable for ultra-high-resolution displays in glasses, tiny light sources for high-resolution microscopes, or sensors that detect signals from single nerve cells.
For fabrication the team used silicon nitride membranes that are about 3,000 times thinner than older metal masks and can be integrated into standard lithography for chip production. The work grew from a Consolidator Grant awarded to Shih in 2024 by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The researchers are now optimising control of individual nano-pixels and exploring next steps such as phased array optics, mini lasers and grouped "meta-pixels" that could form 3D images around viewers.
Difficult words
- nanoscale — extremely small size at nanometre level
- pixel — tiny light element in a displaypixel sizes, pixel diameters, pixels, pixel density, logo pixels
- nanometre — one billionth of a metre length unitnanometres
- wavelength — distance between repeating points of a wave
- interaction — process where two things affect each otherinteractions
- steer — direct movement or aim of something
- lithography — process used to pattern chips or materials
- membrane — thin layer that separates or supports materialmembranes
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Discussion questions
- Which of the mentioned applications (glasses, microscopes, sensors) do you think is most promising, and why?
- What technical or practical challenges might arise when putting nano-pixels into consumer devices like glasses?
- How could the ability to control individual nano-pixels change the design of future displays or 3D images?
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