Multilayer plastic substrates

• US RE40,787 E1
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Graff, Gordon L., Mast, Eric S., Gross, Mark E., Hall, Michael G., Martin, Peter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cano; Milton I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICUS, TAMRA
• Application Number:
  US10/889,640
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 428/412, 428/411.1, 428/480, 428/473.5, 428/474.4, 428/421, 430/58
• US Class Current: 428/412
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 51/0096 Substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 51/0097 flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 51/5256 having repetitive multilayer structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/521 Photovoltaic generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24975 No layer or component greater than 5 mils thick
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31504 Composite [nonstructural laminate]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31507 Of polycarbonate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3154 Of fluorinated addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31721 Of polyimide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31725 Of polyamide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31786 Of polyester [e.g., alkyd, etc.]

Abstract

A multilayer plastic substrate. The substrate comprises a plurality of thin film layers of at least one polymer, the plurality of thin film layers being adjacent to one another and having sufficient strength to be self-supporting, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate has an average visible light transmittance of greater than about 80%.

Claims

1. A multilayer plastic substrate consisting essentially of:

a plurality of flash evaporated thin film layers of at least one polymer, the plurality of thin film layers being adjacent to one another and having sufficient strength to be self-supporting, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate has an average visible light transmittance of greater than about 80%, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate comprises at least about 50 thin film layers, and wherein the multilayer plastic substrate has a surface roughness of less than about 10 nm.

2. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1 wherein the average visible light transmittance is greater than about 85%.

3. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1 wherein the average visible light transmittance is greater than about 90%.

4. The multi layer plastic substrate of claim 1 wherein the peak visible light transmittance is greater than about 85%.

5. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1 wherein the peak visible light transmittance is greater than about 90%.

6. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate comprises at least about 100 thin film layers.

7. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 6, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate comprises at least about 500 thin film layers.

8. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 7, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate comprises at least about 1000 thin film layers.

9. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate is at least about 0.001 inches thick.

10. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate is at least about 0.004 inches thick.

11. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein each thin film layer is less than about 50 μ

m thick.

12. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein each thin film layer is less than about 5 μ

m thick.

13. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein each thin film layer is in the range of about 0.05 to about 2 μ

m thick.

14. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein each thin film layer is in the range of about 0.2 to about 0.3 μ

m.

15. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the at least one polymer is selected from (meth)acrylates, polystyrenes, methyl styrene-containing polymers, fluorinated polymers, polycarbonates, polysulfones, polyethersulfones, polyimides, polyamides, and polyether naphthalenes, and combinations thereof.

16. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the glass transition temperature of the at least one polymer is greater than about 150°

C.

17. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the glass transition temperature of the at least one polymer is greater than about 200°

C.

18. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate has a surface roughness of less than about 2 nm.

19. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate has a refractive index of greater than about 1.5.

20. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate has a refractive index of greater than about 1.4.

21. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate is flexible.

22. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate is rigid.

23. The multilayer plastic substrate of claim 1, wherein the multilayer plastic substrate has a surface roughness of less than about 5 nm.