Compound Barrier Layer for Flexible OLED Water and Oxygen Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices are vulnerable to water and oxygen penetration, which can damage them, and existing barrier technologies either lack effectiveness or break when bent due to their continuous inorganic structures.
Innovation Solution
A compound barrier layer is formed with alternately stacked inorganic and organo-silicon material regions, providing both water-resistant and oxygen-resistant properties while allowing flexibility without cracking, by using a first and second barrier layer with discontinuous inorganic material regions and continuous organo-silicon material regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a continuous inorganic barrier layer is used to prevent water and oxygen penetration, then the barrier effectiveness is improved, but the layer breaks when bent
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous inorganic barrier layer is divided into discrete, separated inorganic material regions arranged in an array. These discontinuous regions are spaced apart rather than forming a continuous layer, which prevents cracking during bending while maintaining barrier effectiveness through the collective coverage and complementary organo-silicon regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier structure combines two different material systems: inorganic material regions (such as metal oxides) and organo-silicon material regions. This composite approach allows the inorganic regions to provide chemical resistance to water and oxygen, while the organo-silicon regions provide flexibility and stress relief, achieving both barrier effectiveness and bendability.
2Strength
If the inorganic barrier layer is made discontinuous to improve flexibility, then the crack resistance is improved, but the water and oxygen penetration prevention may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is segmented into discrete inorganic material regions arranged in a controlled array pattern. The spacing and distribution of these regions are optimized to maintain barrier effectiveness while allowing flexibility. The segmented structure prevents stress concentration that would cause cracking in continuous layers.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the barrier structure have different properties: the inorganic material regions provide localized chemical resistance to water and oxygen penetration, while the organo-silicon material regions provide localized flexibility and stress relief. This spatial differentiation of material properties allows the overall structure to achieve both protection and flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the invention provides a compound barrier layer, including: a first barrier layer disposed on a substrate; and a second barrier layer disposed on the first barrier layer, wherein the first barrier layer and second barrier layer both include a plurality of alternately arranged inorganic material regions and organo-silicon material regions and the inorganic material regions and the organo-silicon material regions of the first barrier layer and second barrier layer are alternatively stacked vertically.