Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Highly sensitive photoplethysmography sensor using transparent OLED
By Kim DG et al.·2026·Department of Semiconductor Engineering, South Korea·View original on Europe PMC →
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Original publication title: A Highly Sensitive Photoplethysmography Sensor Enabled by a Highly Transparent Micromesh OLED Fabricated via an In Situ Mask Evaporation Process.
Plain-English summary
This study looks at a new way to measure health signals using a technique called photoplethysmography (PPG), which is a noninvasive method that can track things like heart rate. The researchers created a special type of transparent light-emitting device that allows light to pass through a mesh structure, making it easier for the device to collect clear signals. They found that this new design improved the quality of the measurements significantly, achieving a very high signal-to-noise ratio, which means the readings are much clearer and more reliable. The findings suggest that this technology could be useful for future wearable health devices and see-through displays.
Abstract
Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a noninvasive technique for monitoring physiological signals, but conventional reflective configurations suffer from long and scattered reflection paths, leading to degraded signal quality. In this study, we propose a vertical reflective PPG structure using a transparent organic light-emitting diode (TOLED) with a mesh electrode, enabling reflected light to directly reach the photodiode (PD) through the mesh openings. The TOLED was fabricated by forming a Mg:Ag mesh cathode using a plus-shaped shadow mask, and at a pitch size of 1140 μm, the mesh electrode exhibited high optical transmittance (<b><i>T</i><sub>550</sub></b> > 80%) and low sheet resistance (≤12 Ω/□), while the overall device maintained good transparency (<b><i>T</i><sub>550</sub></b> = 71.5%). PPG measurements confirmed that the vertical structure enhanced signal collection efficiency, achieving the highest signal-to-noise ratio (<b><i>SNR</i></b>) of 35.18 dB at a pitch of 1140 μm. These results demonstrate the potential of mesh-based TOLEDs as a promising platform for next-generation wearable healthcare and transparent display applications.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41577650