Deposition and characterization of ultra-high barrier coatings for flexible electronic applications

A barrier structure consisting of SiOx and SiNx films was deposited on the polymer substrate at 80 °C via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). However, the low radius of curvature (Rc) of the barrier-coated substrate may cause the inconvenience of the following fabrication processes. By depositing a 150 nm-SiNx film, the Rc of the barrier-coated polycarbonate (PC) substrate can increase from 80 to 115 mm without inducing any cracks in the barrier structure. Furthermore, the thermal stress of the barrier structure can be adjusted via extending the PECVD process duration in the chamber and replacing PC by the polyethersulone (PES) substrate. The Rc can increase to ∼356 mm by depositing the 150 nm-SiNx film on the other side of the PES substrate. Finally, the calcium test result of the barrier films/PES/SiNx sample was calculated to be around 3.05 × 10−6 g/m2/day, representing that the barrier structure did not fail after modification.