A cost effective manufacturing process encapsulates a light emitting
polymer (LEP) device between two flexible sheet materials, where one sheet may act as the substrate for the LEP device and the other sheet may act as a cover for the LEP device, and at least one of the sheets is transparent. Both encapsulating sheets and, as required, an
adhesive system binding the sheets together provide sufficient environmental barriers with low
moisture vapor transmission rates (MVTR) and
oxygen transmission rates (OTR). The encapsulating sheets may, for example, be laminated together, sandwiching the LEP device in a vacuum, or
oxygen /
moisture free, and
inert gas environment. Prior to encapsulation the LEP device may be heated and placed in a vacuum to remove
moisture, air and residual solvents. The process may also be designed for roll to roll, sometimes called web based
processing, where the LEP device and / or encapsulating
sheet material are in a continuous roll format with an
adhesive with low air
permittivity, such as some UV or thermal curable epoxies, or a melt lamination process used to attach the encapsulating sheets. For LEP devices with
short lifetime requirements, the encapsulating material may be in liquid form and applied by spraying, dipping, doctor balding, and the like, or printing, such as
screen printing, roller
coating or lithographic application in single or multiple
layers. Such material may also contain desiccants to further remove water and / or
oxygen.