OLED and Holographic Metasurfaces Combined for the First Time: New Research Solves the Key Barrier to Holographic Display Adoption

The University of St Andrews has announced a breakthrough in holographic display research that could reshape the future of smart devices, communications, gaming, and entertainment.

Published in Light: Science & Applications, the study by researchers at the School of Physics and Astronomy combines holographic metasurfaces (HMs) with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) to create a new type of optoelectronic device.

Breaking Away from Laser Dependence

Until now, hologram generation has relied on laser technology. The researchers found that combining OLEDs with holographic metasurfaces offers a simpler process, smaller device footprint, and potentially lower cost—making it far easier to scale. This breakthrough addresses the core challenge that has long blocked the mass adoption of holographic technology.

OLEDs are thin-film devices already widely used in smartphone screens and some televisions for color pixels. As a flat, surface-emitting light source, OLEDs are also emerging in optical wireless communication, biophotonics, and sensing. Their high compatibility with other technologies makes them ideal for building miniaturized light-based platforms.

Holographic metasurfaces, meanwhile, are thin planar arrays made of “meta-atoms,” each roughly one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair. These structures are designed to manipulate the properties of light and can be used to create holograms, with applications spanning data storage, anti-counterfeiting, optical displays, high-numerical-aperture lenses (such as those used in optical microscopes), and sensing.

This study marks the first time the two technologies have been combined to fabricate the fundamental components of holographic displays.

How It Works: Meta-Atoms as Pixels

The researchers found that by precisely designing the shape of each meta-atom to control the properties of the light passing through it, each meta-atom can function as a “pixel” of the holographic metasurface. As light passes through the metasurface, its properties are subtly altered at each pixel position.

Using these property changes, combined with the principles of light interference—where interacting light waves form complex patterns—a pre-designed image can be projected on the opposite side of the metasurface.

Professor Ife Samuel of the School of Physics and Astronomy said: “We are excited to open up this new direction for OLED technology. Combining OLEDs with metasurfaces also provides a new way of thinking about hologram generation and light manipulation.”

Professor Andrea Di Falco, Professor of Nanophotonics at the School of Physics and Astronomy, noted: “Holographic metasurfaces are one of the most versatile material platforms for manipulating light. Through this research, we have removed a key technical barrier that has prevented metamaterials from entering everyday applications. This breakthrough will drive the upgrade of holographic display architectures and bring qualitative leaps to emerging fields such as virtual reality and augmented reality.”

Professor Graham Turnbull, also from the School, added: “Conventional OLED displays typically require thousands of pixels to render a simple image, whereas this new approach can project a complete image using just a single OLED pixel.”

Previously, researchers could only use OLEDs to create extremely simple patterns, limiting their application in many scenarios. This breakthrough provides a viable path toward miniaturized, highly integrated metasurface displays.

Implications for AR, VR, and Beyond

The integration of OLEDs and holographic metasurfaces could enable a new generation of display architectures that are thinner, lighter, and more energy-efficient than current technologies. Potential applications include:

• Augmented reality (AR) glasses – compact, high-efficiency holographic projection

• Virtual reality (VR) headsets – reduced size and weight with improved image quality

• Smart devices – integrated holographic displays for next-generation interfaces

• Optical data storage and anti-counterfeiting – metasurface-based holograms with higher security

• Biophotonics and sensing – miniaturized light-based platforms for medical and diagnostic applications

As the technology matures, the combination of OLEDs and holographic metasurfaces could become a foundational platform for the next generation of light-based displays and optical systems.