• 한국정보디스플레이학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2008.10a
• /
• pp.1323-1324
• /
• 2008

We developed the Hyper-thermal Neutral Beam (HNB) sputtering process as a plasma damage free process for ITO top anode deposition on inverted Top emission OLED (ITOLED). For examining the effect of the HNB sputtering system, Inverted Bottom emission OLEDs (IBOLED) with ITO top anode electrode were fabricated; the characteristics of IBOLED using HNB sputtering process shows significant suppression of plasma induced damage.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2013.02a
• /
• pp.312-312
• /
• 2013

GaN based light emitting diodes (LEDs) are important devices that are being used extensively in our daily life. For example, these devices are used in traffic light lamps, outdoor full-color displays and backlight of liquid crystal display panels. To realize high-brightness GaN based LEDs for solid-state lighting applications, the development of p-type ohmic electrodes that have low contact resistivity, high optical transmittance and high refractive index is essential. To this effect, indiumtin oxide (ITO) have been investigated for LEDs. Among the transparent electrodes for LEDs, ITO has been one of the promising electrodes on p-GaN layers owing to its excellent properties in optical, electrical conductivity, substrate adhesion, hardness, and chemical inertness. Sputtering and e-beam evaporation techniques are the most commonly used deposition methods. Commonly, ITO films on p-GaN by sputtering have better transmittance and resistivity than ITO films on p-GaN by e-bam evaporation. However, ITO films on p-GaN by sputtering have higher specific contact resistance, it has been demonstrated that this is due to possible plasma damage on the p-GaN in the sputtering process. In this paper, we have investigated the advanced sputtering using plasma damage-free p-electrode. Prepared the ITO films on the GaN based LEDs by e-beam evaporation, normal sputtering and advanced sputtering. The ITO films on GaN based LEDs by sputtering showed better transmittance and sheets resistance than ITO films on the GaN based LEDs by e-beam evaporation. Finally, fabricated of GaN based LEDs by using advanced sputtering. And compared the electrical properties (measurement by using C-TLM) and structural properties (HR-TEM and FE-SEM) of ITO films on GaN based LEDs produced by e-beam evaporation, normal sputtering and advanced sputtering. As a result, It is expected to form plasma damage free-electrode, and better light output power and break down voltage than LEDs by e-beam evaporation and normal sputter.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2005.11a
• /
• pp.53-54
• /
• 2005

We report on plasma damage free-sputtering technologies for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic thin rim transistor (OTFT) and flexible displays by using a box cathode sputtering (BCS) method. Specially designed BCS system has two facing targets generating high magnetic fields ideally entering and leaving the targets, perpendicularly. This target geometry allows the formation of high-density plasma between targets and enables us to realize plasma damage free sputtering on organic layer without protection layer against plasma. The OLED with top cathode prepared by BCS shows electrical and optical characteristics comparable to OLED with thermally evaporated Mg-Ag cathode. It was found that TOLED with ITO or IZO top cathode layer prepared by BCS has much lower leakage current density ($1\times10^{-5}$ mA/cm2 at -6V) than that ($1\times10^{-1}\sim10^{\circ}mA/cm^2$)of OLED prepared by conventional DC sputtering system. This indicates that BCS technique is a promising electrode deposition method for substituting conventional thermal evaporation and dc/rf sputtering in fabrication process of organic based optoelectronics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2007.06a
• /
• pp.74-75
• /
• 2007

We report on the characteristics of organic light-emitting diodes with Al cathode deposited by specially designed twin target sputter(TTS) system. It was found that the Al cathode films grown by TTS system were amorphous structure with nanocrystallines due to low substrate temperature during sputtering process. Effective confinement of high-density plasma between two Al targets lead to low temperature sputtering process on organic layer. Moreover, organic light-emitting diodes with Al cathode deposited by TTS system exhibited low leakage current density of $4{\times}10^{-6}\;mA/cm2$ at -6 V indicating plasma damage due to bombardment of energetic particles such as ions and $\gamma$-electrons was effectively restricted in the ITS system. Sputtering method using ITS system is expected to be applied in organic electronics and flexible displays due to its low temperature and plasma damage free deposition process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2012.02a
• /
• pp.100-101
• /
• 2012

The plasma damage free and room temperature processedthin film deposition technology is essential for realization of various next generation organic microelectronic devices such as flexible AMOLED display, flexible OLED lighting, and organic photovoltaic cells because characteristics of fragile organic materials in the plasma process and low glass transition temperatures (Tg) of polymer substrate. In case of directly deposition of metal oxide thin films (including transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS)) on the organic layers, plasma damages against to the organic materials is fatal. This damage is believed to be originated mainly from high energy energetic particles during the sputtering process such as negative oxygen ions, reflected neutrals by reflection of plasma background gas at the target surface, sputtered atoms, bulk plasma ions, and secondary electrons. To solve this problem, we developed the NBAS (Neutral Beam Assisted Sputtering) process as a plasma damage free and room temperature processed sputtering technology. As a result, electro-optical properties of NBAS processed ITO thin film showed resistivity of $4.0{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}{\cdot}m$ and high transmittance (>90% at 550 nm) with nano- crystalline structure at room temperature process. Furthermore, in the experiment result of directly deposition of TCO top anode on the inverted structure OLED cell, it is verified that NBAS TCO deposition process does not damages to the underlying organic layers. In case of deposition of transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin film on the plastic polymer substrate, the room temperature processed sputtering coating of high quality TCO thin film is required. During the sputtering process with higher density plasma, the energetic particles contribute self supplying of activation & crystallization energy without any additional heating and post-annealing and forminga high quality TCO thin film. However, negative oxygen ions which generated from sputteringtarget surface by electron attachment are accelerated to high energy by induced cathode self-bias. Thus the high energy negative oxygen ions can lead to critical physical bombardment damages to forming oxide thin film and this effect does not recover in room temperature process without post thermal annealing. To salve the inherent limitation of plasma sputtering, we have been developed the Magnetic Field Shielded Sputtering (MFSS) process as the high quality oxide thin film deposition process at room temperature. The MFSS process is effectively eliminate or suppress the negative oxygen ions bombardment damage by the plasma limiter which composed permanent magnet array. As a result, electro-optical properties of MFSS processed ITO thin film (resistivity $3.9{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}{\cdot}cm$, transmittance 95% at 550 nm) have approachedthose of a high temperature DC magnetron sputtering (DMS) ITO thin film were. Also, AOS (a-IGZO) TFTs fabricated by MFSS process without higher temperature post annealing showed very comparable electrical performance with those by DMS process with $400^{\circ}C$ post annealing. They are important to note that the bombardment of a negative oxygen ion which is accelerated by dc self-bias during rf sputtering could degrade the electrical performance of ITO electrodes and a-IGZO TFTs. Finally, we found that reduction of damage from the high energy negative oxygen ions bombardment drives improvement of crystalline structure in the ITO thin film and suppression of the sub-gab states in a-IGZO semiconductor thin film. For realization of organic flexible electronic devices based on plastic substrates, gas barrier coatings are required to prevent the permeation of water and oxygen because organic materials are highly susceptible to water and oxygen. In particular, high efficiency flexible AMOLEDs needs an extremely low water vapor transition rate (WVTR) of $1{\times}10^{-6}gm^{-2}day^{-1}$. The key factor in high quality inorganic gas barrier formation for achieving the very low WVTR required (under ${\sim}10^{-6}gm^{-2}day^{-1}$) is the suppression of nano-sized defect sites and gas diffusion pathways among the grain boundaries. For formation of high quality single inorganic gas barrier layer, we developed high density nano-structured Al2O3 single gas barrier layer usinga NBAS process. The NBAS process can continuously change crystalline structures from an amorphous phase to a nano- crystalline phase with various grain sizes in a single inorganic thin film. As a result, the water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) of the NBAS processed $Al_2O_3$ gas barrier film have improved order of magnitude compared with that of conventional $Al_2O_3$ layers made by the RF magnetron sputteringprocess under the same sputtering conditions; the WVTR of the NBAS processed $Al_2O_3$ gas barrier film was about $5{\times}10^{-6}g/m^2/day$ by just single layer.