A highly rigid tetradentate ligand is combined with a gold(III) ion as a thermally stable tetradentate gold(III) complex. The tetradentate gold(III) complex is a tetradentate gold(III) compound that can be used as a light-emitting material which can be used for fabricated of light-emitting devices such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). The tetradentate gold(III) compound can be deposited as a layer or a component of a layer using a solution-process or a vacuum deposition process. The luminescent tetradentate gold(III) compounds are robust and can provide electroluminescence (EL) with a high efficiency and brightness.