Imidazophenanthridine ligands and metal complexes are provided. The compounds exhibit improved stability through a linking substitution that links a nitrogen bonded carbon of an imidizole ring to a carbon on the adjacent fused aryl ring. The compounds may be used in OLEDs, particularly as emissive dopants in the emissive region in the OLEDs, providing devices with improved efficiency, stability, and manufacturing. In particular, the compounds provided herein may be used in blue devices having high efficiency.