Ultralow Water Permeation Barrier Films of Triad a-SiNx:H/n-SiOxNy/h-SiOx Structure for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Keun Yong Lim; Dong Uk Kim; Jun Ho Kong; Byung-Il Choi; Won-Seon Seo; Jae-Woong Yu; Won Kook Choi

doi:10.1021/acsami.0c05858

Ultralow Water Permeation Barrier Films of Triad a-SiN_x:H/n-SiO_xN_y/h-SiO_x Structure for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2020 Jul 15;12(28):32106-32118. doi: 10.1021/acsami.0c05858. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Authors

Keun Yong Lim^{1

2}, Dong Uk Kim², Jun Ho Kong², Byung-Il Choi³, Won-Seon Seo⁴, Jae-Woong Yu², Won Kook Choi¹

Affiliations

¹ Center for Opto-Electronic Materials and Devices, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Advanced Materials Engineering for Information & Electronics, Kyung Hee University, Deogyeong-daro 1732, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi 17104, Republic of Korea.
³ Korea Research Institute of Standard and Science (KRISS), Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Energy and Environmental Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology (KICET), Soho-ro 101, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do 52851, Republic of Korea.

PMID: 32588616
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c05858

Abstract

Organic electronic devices such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), quantum dot LEDs, and organic photovoltaics are promising technologies for future electronics. However, achieving long-term stability of organic-based optoelectronic devices has been regarded as a crucial problem to be solved. In this work, a simple and reproducible fabrication method for ultralow water permeation barrier films having a triple-layered (triad) hydrogenated silicon nitride (a-SiN_x:H)/nanosilicon oxynitride (n-SiO_xN_y)/hybrid silicon oxide (h-SiO_x) multistructure is presented. Two triad (a-SiN_x:H/n-SiO_xN_y/h-SiO_x)_n=2 multistructure barrier films are deposited on both sides of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate using a combination of low-pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and dip coating. The deposited films show a high average transmittance (400-700 nm) of 84% and an ultralow water vapor transmission rate of 2 × 10^-6 g/m²/day. In the electroluminescence characteristics of OLEDs encapsulated with two triad barrier films, the operational lifetime (T₅₀) of OLEDs is 1584 h, which is almost similar to that (1416 h) of OLEDs encapsulated with a glass lid.

Keywords: a-SiNx:H/n-SiOxNy/h-SiOx; lifetime; organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs); ultralow water permeation barrier film; water vapor transmission rate (WVTR).