Your phone screen appears to produce a smooth, even glow, but this is an optical illusion. Researchers at the University of Michigan have discovered that OLED displays actually emit light from tiny nanoscale hotspots, and some of them flicker.
This isn’t just a quirky science fact. It could be quietly shortening the lifespan of your phones and OLED TVs. “If some areas are carrying more current than others, they’re likely to burn out faster,” said Steve Forrest, one of the senior authors of the study published in Nature Photonics.
Because the flickering isn’t in sync, your eyes perceive it as a steady glow. To confirm that what they observed was not merely a microscope artifact, the team cross-referenced using a technique called superresolution optical fluctuation imaging, and is confident that what they are observing are indeed hotspots.
Why are these hotspots forming in the first place?
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