title: Low-temperature remote plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of ZrO2/zircone nanolaminate film for efficient encapsulation of flexible organic light-emitting diodes.
abstract: Encapsulation is essential to protect the air-sensitive components of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) such as active layers and cathode electrodes. In this study, hybrid zirconium inorganic/organic nanolaminates were fabricated using remote plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) and molecular layer deposition at a low temperature. The nanolaminate serves as a thin-film encapsulation layer for OLEDs. The reaction mechanism of PEALD process was investigated using an in-situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and in-situ quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS). The bonds present in the films were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The primary reaction byproducts in PEALD, such as CO, CO2, NO, H2O, as well as the related fragments during the O2plasma process were characterized using the QMS, indicating a combustion-like reaction process. The self-limiting nature and growth mechanisms of the ZrO2during the complex surface chemical reaction of the ligand and O2plasma were monitored using the QCM. The remote PEALD ZrO2/zircone nanolaminate structure prolonged the transmission path of water vapor and smooth surface morphology. Consequently, the water barrier properties were significantly improved (reaching 3.078 × 10-5g/m2/day). This study also shows that flexible OLEDs can be successfully encapsulated to achieve a significantly longer lifetime.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Jilin 130012, China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Jilin 130012, China.
authors.forename: Haoran
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Jilin 130012, China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Jilin 130012, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Jilin 130012, China.|Computer Science and Technology Department, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Yunfei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Jilin 130012, China.
authors.forename: Hongyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Jilin 130012, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Jilin 130012, China.|College of Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130012, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Duan