Abstract
In this paper, the environmental stability of silicon nitride (SiNx) films deposited at 80 °C by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition was studied systematically. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared reflection were used to analyze the element content and atomic bond structure of the amorphous SiNx films. Variation of mechanical and optical properties were also evaluated. It is found that SiNx deposited at low temperature is easily oxidized, especially at elevated temperature and moisture. The hardness and elastic modulus did not change significantly with the increase of oxidation. The changes of the surface morphology, transmittance, and fracture extensibility are negligible. Finally, it is determined that SiNx films deposited at low-temperature with proper processing parameters are suitable for thin-film encapsulation of flexible devices.
Highlights
Al2 O3 used for TFE usually use atomic layer deposition (ALD) deposition technology, this means that the film formation speed of Al2 O3 would be significantly lower than plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) [1,7]
This peak is deconvoluted into two symmetrical peaks, corresponding to SiNx and silicon oxide (SiOx ), respectively
The results show that the roughness of the SiNx films was basically maintained at about 1.3 nm
Summary
Due to the lightweight and bendable characteristics of flexible display, lots of interest has been attracted in flexible display technology and its wide application. Al2 O3 used for TFE usually use atomic layer deposition (ALD) deposition technology, this means that the film formation speed of Al2 O3 would be significantly lower than plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) [1,7] This obviously cannot meet the commercial requirements for preparing flexible device encapsulation films. The SiNx films have efficient optical anti-reflection performance, high density and stability, and excellent water and oxygen isolation effect These features are in line with the requirements of flexible devices for encapsulation. These films are inevitably exposed to various environmental conditions after deposition, including atmosphere, high temperature, moisture, and oxidizing media The interactions at these conditions lead to changes in the properties of SiNx films, which would adversely affect the performance of the device. Through systematic characterization, it is judged that the SiNx films under low temperature with proper deposition process are suitable for film encapsulation
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