Environmental protection film for thin film devices
First Claim
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1. A method of making a diffusion barrier film for a device, the method comprising:
- depositing, via electron beam evaporation, a composite inorganic film on a substrate while the substrate is in a first environment, whereinthe first environment is a vacuum environment;
a temperature of the first environment remains below 80 degrees Celsius during the depositing via electron beam evaporation; and
the composite inorganic film includes;
a dielectric layer including a dielectric material;
a first oxidizable layer including a first tenacious oxide forming material, the first oxidizable layer being in direct intimate contact with a first of two surfaces of the dielectric layer; and
a second oxidizable layer including a second tenacious oxide forming material, the second oxidizable layer being in direct intimate contact with a second of two surfaces of the dielectric layer;
removing the substrate having the composite inorganic film deposited thereon from the vacuum environment;
introducing the substrate having the composite inorganic film deposited thereon to a second environment different from the vacuum environment; and
exposing, while the substrate having the composite inorganic film deposited thereon is in the second environment, the first oxidizable layer and the second oxidizable layer of the composite inorganic film to a source of oxygen for a period of time to respectively oxidize the first oxidizable layer and the second oxidizable layer, thereby respectively forming a first barrier layer and a second barrier layer of the diffusion barrier film.
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Abstract
A protective film for a thin film device comprises a composite inorganic film that may be deposited on a parylene film or deposited directly on the device. Optionally, additional parylene and composite inorganic protective films may be added. The composite inorganic protective film is on the order of 1-100 nm thick and contains a material (e.g., Si) that forms a tenacious oxide at room temperature. When the device is exposed to air after deposition of the composite inorganic film, the oxidizable species oxidizes and fills voids to create an effective diffusion barrier.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method of making a diffusion barrier film for a device, the method comprising:
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depositing, via electron beam evaporation, a composite inorganic film on a substrate while the substrate is in a first environment, wherein the first environment is a vacuum environment; a temperature of the first environment remains below 80 degrees Celsius during the depositing via electron beam evaporation; and the composite inorganic film includes; a dielectric layer including a dielectric material; a first oxidizable layer including a first tenacious oxide forming material, the first oxidizable layer being in direct intimate contact with a first of two surfaces of the dielectric layer; and a second oxidizable layer including a second tenacious oxide forming material, the second oxidizable layer being in direct intimate contact with a second of two surfaces of the dielectric layer; removing the substrate having the composite inorganic film deposited thereon from the vacuum environment; introducing the substrate having the composite inorganic film deposited thereon to a second environment different from the vacuum environment; and exposing, while the substrate having the composite inorganic film deposited thereon is in the second environment, the first oxidizable layer and the second oxidizable layer of the composite inorganic film to a source of oxygen for a period of time to respectively oxidize the first oxidizable layer and the second oxidizable layer, thereby respectively forming a first barrier layer and a second barrier layer of the diffusion barrier film. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of making a diffusion barrier film for an optoelectronic device, the method comprising:
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depositing a smoothing layer on the optoelectronic device while the optoelectronic device is in an environment different from a first environment and a second environment; depositing, via electron beam evaporation, a composite inorganic film on the smoothing layer while the optoelectronic device is in the first environment, wherein the first environment is a vacuum environment; a temperature of the first environment remains below 80 degrees Celsius during the depositing via electron beam evaporation; and the composite inorganic film includes; a dielectric layer including a dielectric material; a first oxidizable layer including a first tenacious oxide forming material, the first oxidizable layer being in direct intimate contact with a first of two surfaces of the dielectric layer and having a porosity that corresponds to void spaces therein; and a second oxidizable layer including a second tenacious oxide forming material, the second oxidizable layer being in direct intimate contact with a second of two surfaces of the dielectric layer and having a porosity that corresponds to void spaces therein; removing the optoelectronic device having the smoothing layer and the composite inorganic film deposited thereon from the vacuum environment; introducing the optoelectronic device having the smoothing layer and the composite inorganic film deposited thereon to the second environment, the second environment being a non-vacuum environment that is different from the vacuum environment; and exposing, while the optoelectronic device having the smoothing layer and the composite inorganic film deposited thereon is in the second environment, the first and second oxidizable layers of the composite inorganic film to a source of oxygen for a period of time to oxidize the first and second oxidizable layers, wherein said oxidation of the first and second oxidizable layers fills the respective void spaces of the first and second oxidizable layers, thereby causing the first and second oxidizable layers to form first and second barrier layers of the diffusion barrier film.
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Specification