Reflective full-color structural colors with high brightness and high purity based on phase-change materials with high refractive index and high extinction coefficient

Reflective displays leveraging phase-change materials within an asymmetric Fabry-Pérot (F-P) structure are poised to revolutionize the field due to their inherent benefits, including low power consumption, superior resolution, and straightforward manufacturability. This research introduces a pioneering strategy for the assembly of an asymmetric F-P structure, harnessing the properties of high-loss, high refractive index phase-change material Ag5In5Sb60Te30, to yield reflective full-color structural colors of exceptional brightness and chromatic purity.Employing a sophisticated multilayer thin-film design, this study achieves reflectance levels for the three primary colors—red, green, and blue—exceeding ninety percent. The innovative approach allows for the dynamic adjustment of color across the visible spectrum by simply modifying the thickness of a single dielectric layer, with each color attaining a reflectance of over 85%.Capitalizing on the high refractive index of the phase-change materials, in tandem with an anti-reflective layer, the design establishes a refractive index gradient that significantly amplifies the anti-reflective effect. This results in colored structures with remarkable angular robustness, demonstrating angle insensitivity for the primary colors—red, green, and blue—exceeding 60°.This design paradigm sets a new benchmark, offering a blueprint for the utilization of phase-change materials that possess high reflectivity and absorption to create reflective full-color structural colors with unmatched brightness and purity. The device's streamlined structure and low production costs render it an attractive candidate for mass production, facilitated by conventional sputtering and spin-coating techniques. The potential applications of this technology are expansive, encompassing a spectrum of fields including micro-nano displays, reflective color filters, decorative elements, electronic reader devices, and vehicular display systems, thus heralding a new era in optoelectronic applications.