ETH Zurich researchers fabricated organic light-emitting diode pixels reaching the 100-nanometre size range using thin silicon-nitride stencil membranes. The method sharply reduces the feature sizes obtainable with conventional deposition masks. As a demonstration, the team made an ETH logo from 2,800 OLED pixels, each about 200 nanometres across, within a structure roughly the height of a human cell.
At these dimensions, closely spaced emitters can interact through optical wave effects. The researchers demonstrated control over emission direction and polarisation, extending the work beyond simple pixel miniaturisation. The Nature Photonics study points toward compact displays, sensing and electronically controlled optics. Individually addressing the nanoscale OLEDs remained an engineering objective, so the demonstration represents a fabrication and light-control platform rather than a finished high-resolution display.
