  Conventional optical displays using ITO (indium tin oxide) and LC (liquid
crystal) materials present a lot of challenges in terms of long-term
sustainability. We show here how it is possible to generate a cost effective
and CMOS compatible fast and full range electrically controlled RGB color
display by combining transmission based plasmonic metasurfaces with MEMS
(Microelectromechanical systems) technology, using only two common materials:
Aluminum and silicon oxide. White light is filtered into red, green, and blue
components by plasmonic metasurfaces made of aluminum nanohole arrays, and the
transmission through each color filter is modulated by MEMS miniaturized
cantilevers fabricated with aluminum and silicon oxide on top of the color
filters. We show that the relative transmission of a color subpixel can be
freely modulated from 35% to 100%. Our pixels can also operate well above
800Hz, enabling future ultrafast displays. Our work provides a road to future
circular economic goals by exploiting advances in structural colors and MEMS
technologies to innovate optical displays.
