Insulating Repair Element for Organic Electronic Stack Defects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for repairing defects in thin-layer stacks of organic electronic devices, such as organic diodes and solar cells, are inefficient in limiting parasitic leakage currents and electrical breakdowns, as they often require complex processes, high-cost substrates, or limited material choices for insulating layers.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a conducting first layer, an active layer with free volumes, and a repairing element comprising a buffer and filling layer made from different materials, where the buffer layer prevents physical contact and the filling layer penetrates into free volumes, ensuring electrical insulation and preserving the active layer's integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single insulating layer is used to fill free volumes, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the filling efficiency and insulation performance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating repair structure is segmented into multiple functional layers: a first insulating layer for initial filling and a second insulating layer for enhanced insulation. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specific function optimally, with the first layer filling the free volume and the second layer providing additional insulation barrier, thereby resolving the contradiction between simple manufacturing and sufficient insulation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite insulating structures with different material properties. The first insulating layer and second insulating layer are made from different materials selected from organic insulators, inorganic insulators, or their composites. This composite approach enables the structure to achieve both good filling characteristics and high insulation performance, overcoming the limitation of single-material layers.
2Reliability
If the active layer thickness is increased to reduce defects, then defect density decreases, but the device performance degrades due to excessive thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary repair action by forming insulating layers within the free volumes of the active layer before final device assembly. This preliminary action fills defects in-situ, allowing the active layer to maintain its optimal thin thickness for performance while defects are repaired subsequently, thus resolving the contradiction between defect reduction and device performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The repair structure is applied locally only where free volumes exist, rather than uniformly throughout the entire active layer. The insulating layers are formed to precisely fill the free volume regions, maintaining the original thin active layer structure in defect-free areas while providing targeted repair in defective regions, thereby preserving overall device performance.
3Reliability
If complex repair processes are used to eliminate leakage currents, then leakage current is reduced, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The repair process is merged with the existing manufacturing workflow by integrating insulating layer formation into the standard fabrication sequence. The first and second insulating layers are formed using conventional deposition techniques already employed in the manufacturing process, combining the repair function with existing process steps rather than adding separate complex repair operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the thickness and material parameters of the insulating layers to optimize repair effectiveness while maintaining manufacturing simplicity. By carefully selecting layer thicknesses (sufficient to fill free volumes but not excessive) and choosing from standard insulating materials, the repair achieves leakage current reduction without requiring complex process parameters or multiple iterative steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a stack, includes the following steps: forming a first layer able to conduct electricity, forming a layer of interest on the first layer, the layer of interest comprising at least one free volume, forming at least one repairing element, each repairing element at least partially filling a free volume, called the free volume of interest, the repairing element comprising at least one insulating layer and leaving free an upper surface of the layer of interest opposite the first layer located outside of the at least one free volume, forming a second layer, able to conduct electricity, on the layer of interest, the second layer covering the repairing element and the free surface, the step of forming the repairing element comprising the following steps: forming, on the layer of interest, a layer that extends at least partially into the free volume of interest, covering at least one portion of the buffer layer located in the volume of interest with a filling layer, the buffer layer and the filling layer being made from different materials.