Improvements of Indium Tin Oxide Film Deposited on Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Substrates by Plasma-Polymerized Hydrogenated Silicon–Carbon–Oxide Buffer Layer

Abstract

A plasma-polymerized hydrogenated silicon–carbon–oxide (Si–C–O:H) buffer layer was interlaid for improving durability of indium tin oxide (ITO) films on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates. It was demonstrated that this buffer layer efficiently improves the durability of specimens under static and dynamic mechanical bending. Experimental results show that the Si–C–O:H buffer layer only negligibly affects the optical transmission and electrical resistivity of coated specimens. The static bending test revealed that the critical radius of curvature (Rc) is 16.0 mm while it is 22.1 mm for the ITO-coated PET with and without buffer layer. The dynamic bending test at curvature radius of 17.7 mm showed that the ITO-coated PET specimen with buffer layer can tolerate more than 2000 cycles, whereas it is less than 200 cycles without buffer layer. The Si–C–O:H buffer layer can significantly reduce the stress in ITO films during bending and therefore improve the bending durability of ITO films.