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Barix™ is a coating comprised of alternating layers of polymer and ceramic thin
films that can be deposited on a plastic substrate or directly onto an OLED device.
The technology breakthrough that enables this to be used as the packaging
material for flat panel displays is the creation of an ultra-barrier film that is a million
times less permeable to water vapor and oxygen than conventional food
packaging. The Barix™ coating is flexible and highly transparent.
The bulk permeability of conventional thin inorganic barrier layers of silicon dioxide
or aluminum oxide is essentially zero – making them the perfect barriers. So why
does a coating of these materials when deposited onto a permeable (plastic) film
allow the passage of water or oxygen? The reason is that in order to produce an
impermeable barrier, such a coating must be continuous and free of any defects.
However, when deposited on almost all surfaces, including an OLED or plastic, these
coatings will always contain both intrinsic and extrinsic defects that act as short-
circuit paths for water vapor and oxygen.
Intrinsic defects are those arising from the imperfections or discontinuities of the
processes of film nucleation and growth. These defects are typically characterized
by microscopic pores or boundaries of reduced physical density. Local variations in
the surface energy due to contamination or material non-uniformity can lead to
differences in film nucleation that coalesce to form defective regions. Surface
roughness and topography will also influence the uniformity of nucleation and the
character of the film growth process. Often these defects, once formed during the
initial stages of film growth, propagate through the thickness of the growing film.
The result is that barrier performance cannot be indefinitely improved simply by
increasing the thickness of the deposited film. Barrier layers are typically brittle
materials, so thick coatings are subject to cracking and detrimental to flexibility.
Extrinsic defects are classified as those arising from foreign objects, debris and
mechanical damage that disturb the formation and continuity of the thin-film barrier
layer. The sources for these defects may occur throughout the device or base film
manufacturing process. Polymer films are typically not fabricated or converted
under clean room conditions.
To overcome many of these problems and fabricate a flexible, transparent film with
ultra-barrier properties, Vitex Systems has developed a patented system, Barix™,
which uses thin polymer layers that are deposited alternatively with thin barrier
layers. This multilayer organic/inorganic structure has several unique features that
enable superior barrier performance. See "How does Barix work?"
films that can be deposited on a plastic substrate or directly onto an OLED device.
The technology breakthrough that enables this to be used as the packaging
material for flat panel displays is the creation of an ultra-barrier film that is a million
times less permeable to water vapor and oxygen than conventional food
packaging. The Barix™ coating is flexible and highly transparent.
The bulk permeability of conventional thin inorganic barrier layers of silicon dioxide
or aluminum oxide is essentially zero – making them the perfect barriers. So why
does a coating of these materials when deposited onto a permeable (plastic) film
allow the passage of water or oxygen? The reason is that in order to produce an
impermeable barrier, such a coating must be continuous and free of any defects.
However, when deposited on almost all surfaces, including an OLED or plastic, these
coatings will always contain both intrinsic and extrinsic defects that act as short-
circuit paths for water vapor and oxygen.
Intrinsic defects are those arising from the imperfections or discontinuities of the
processes of film nucleation and growth. These defects are typically characterized
by microscopic pores or boundaries of reduced physical density. Local variations in
the surface energy due to contamination or material non-uniformity can lead to
differences in film nucleation that coalesce to form defective regions. Surface
roughness and topography will also influence the uniformity of nucleation and the
character of the film growth process. Often these defects, once formed during the
initial stages of film growth, propagate through the thickness of the growing film.
The result is that barrier performance cannot be indefinitely improved simply by
increasing the thickness of the deposited film. Barrier layers are typically brittle
materials, so thick coatings are subject to cracking and detrimental to flexibility.
Extrinsic defects are classified as those arising from foreign objects, debris and
mechanical damage that disturb the formation and continuity of the thin-film barrier
layer. The sources for these defects may occur throughout the device or base film
manufacturing process. Polymer films are typically not fabricated or converted
under clean room conditions.
To overcome many of these problems and fabricate a flexible, transparent film with
ultra-barrier properties, Vitex Systems has developed a patented system, Barix™,
which uses thin polymer layers that are deposited alternatively with thin barrier
layers. This multilayer organic/inorganic structure has several unique features that
enable superior barrier performance. See "How does Barix work?"
This scanning electron microscope image shows the ability of a thin layer
of polymer to cover and planarize a tall (4 micron) re-entrant structure;
the cathode separator.
The figure below shows the Barix™ structure deposited on a flat
substrate. This coating is comprised of 2 dyads or layer-pairs of ceramic
on polymer.
of polymer to cover and planarize a tall (4 micron) re-entrant structure;
the cathode separator.
The figure below shows the Barix™ structure deposited on a flat
substrate. This coating is comprised of 2 dyads or layer-pairs of ceramic
on polymer.
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| What is Barix™? |
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