Highly reliable and stretchable OLEDs based on facile patterning method: toward stretchable organic optoelectronic devices

Abstract

Stretchable displays attract significant attention because of their potential applications in wearable electronics, smart textiles, and human-conformable devices. This paper introduces an electrically stable, mechanically ultra-robust, and water-resistant stretchable OLED display (SOLED) mounted on a stress-relief pillar platform. The SOLED is fabricated on a thin, transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film using conventional vacuum evaporation, organic-inorganic hybrid thin film encapsulation (TFE), and a nonselective laser patterning process. This simple and efficient process yields an OLED display with exceptional stretchability, reaching up to 95% strain and outstanding durability, enduring 100,000 stretch-release cycles at 50% strain. Operational lifetime and water-resistant storage lifetime measurements confirm that the TFE provides effective protection even after the nonselective laser patterning process. A 3 × 3 array SOLED display module mounted on a stress-relief pillar platform is successfully implemented, marking the first case of water-resistant display array operation in the field of SOLEDs. This work aims to develop practical stretchable displays by offering a reliable fabrication method and device design for creating mechanically robust and adaptable displays, potentially paving the way for future advances in human-conformable electronics and other innovative applications.