Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
We have developed a new silicon nitride (SiNx) multilayer barrier film by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for a flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED), which consists of SiNx films in two different deposition conditions, that is, a transparent SiNx layer (tr-SiNx) deposited with NH3 gas and an ultra-thin SiNx layer (cap-SiNx) deposited without NH3 gas, which caps over the former layer. This barrier film is expected to exhibit high durability under high temperature and high humidity conditions even at high deposition rate over 100 nm / minute, because the transparent SiNx layer, that is easily oxidized under such conditions, is protected by the cap-SiNx layer and the interface between them, and also show good transparency, because the opaque cap-SiNx layer is enough thin to be almost transparent to visible light. Thus, the multi-layer SiNx barrier film indicates the specific features as a high barrier performance, high transparency, and high productivity, and makes it possible to apply flexible OLED displays to automobile use.