Silicone engineered anisotropic lithography for ultrahigh-density OLEDs

Ultrahigh-resolution patterning with high-throughput and high-fidelity is highly in demand for expanding the potential of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) from mobile and TV displays into near-to-eye microdisplays. However, current patterning techniques so far suffer from low resolution, consecutive pattern for RGB pixelation, low pattern fidelity, and throughput issue. Here, we present a silicone engineered anisotropic lithography of the organic light-emitting semiconductor (OLES) that in-situ forms a non-volatile etch-blocking layer during reactive ion etching. This unique feature not only slows the etch rate but also enhances the anisotropy of etch direction, leading to gain delicate control in forming ultrahigh-density multicolor OLES patterns (up to 4500 pixels per inch) through photolithography. This patterning strategy inspired by silicon etching chemistry is expected to provide new insights into ultrahigh-density OLED microdisplays.