A Study on Adhesion and Electro-optical Properties of ITO Films Deposited on Flexible PET Substrates with Deposition of SiO2 Buffer Layers

Using an evaporation system, $SiO_2$ was deposited as a buffer layer between a PET substrate and a ITO layer and then ITO/$SiO_2$/PET layers were annealed for 1.5 hours at the temperature of $180^{\circ}C$. Adhesion and electro-optical properties of ITO films were studied with thickness variance of a $SiO_2$ buffer layer. As a result of introduction of the $SiO_2$ buffer layer, sheet resistance and resistivity increased and a ITO film with optimum sheet resistance ($529.3{\Omega}/square$) for an upper ITO film of resistive type touch panel could be obtained when $SiO_2$ of $50{\AA}$ was deposited. And it was found that ITO films with $SiO_2$ buffer layer have higher transmittance of $88{\sim}90%$ at 550 nm wavelength than ITO films with no buffer layers and the transmittance was enhanced as $SiO_2$ thickness increased from $50{\AA}$ to $100{\AA}$. Adhesion property of ITO films with $SiO_2$ buffer layers became better than ITO films with no buffer layers and this property was independent of $SiO_2$ thickness variance ($50{\sim}100{\AA}$). By depositing a $SiO_2$ buffer layer of $50{\AA}$ on the PET substrate and sputtering a ITO thin film on the layer, a ITO film with enhanced adhesion, electro-optical properties could be obtained.

PET 기판 위에 SiO2 버퍼층 증착에 따른 ITO 박막의 부착 및 전기적 광학적 특성 연구