Zhibin Wang and Michael Helander used in their invention a 50-100 nm thin layer of tantalum oxide on plastic to achieve a refractive index that was previously only delivered by heavy metal-doped glass.
The researchers believe that the technology can reduce the cost of production of OLEDs and bring the vision of flexible OLEDs to the mainstream market. According to the University of Toronto, their display is the first high-efficiency OLED on plastic ever demonstrated.
There was no information when the display technology could become commercially available. Detailed findings of the research project are published in the current issue of Nature Photonics.