Silicon nitride (SiN(x)) and parylene thin films were deposited onto flexible polyimide (PI) substrates using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and a parylene reactor for transparent barrier applications. The PI substrates from the Industry Technology Research Institute with high optical transmittance and high glass transition temperature were used. A relatively high growth temperature of 200 degrees C was chosen to deposit the SiN(x) films. To characterize the SiN(x) films deposited under different growth temperatures, a wet-etching process was performed to visualize the defect distribution in the barrier films. After 120 min of etching, the etching area ratio decreased from 44.9 to 6.7%, while the average defect spacing increased from 125 to 450 mu m with increasing growth temperature. Under room temperature and relative humidity of 50%, four SiN(x)/parylene stacks with the SiN(x) films deposited at 80 and 200 degrees C were demonstrated to decrease the water vapor transmission rate to 7.9x10(-4) and 7.41x10(-6) g/m(2)/day, respectively. As a result, ultralow permeation can be achieved with less repeating barrier stacks by using high temperature deposited SiN(x) films in the barrier structures
The silane-modified, acid-treated carbon nanotubes (silane-modified HCNTs) were prepared using acid-treated carbon nanotubes (HCNTs) and octyltriethoxysilane (OTES) via the sol–gel process. The silane-modified HCNTs and the HCNTs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Raman spectra showed that there were larger reactive sites on nanotubes treated in the H2SO4/HNO3 mixture acid for 2 h. The chemical structural effects on the morphology, dispersion, and thermal and emission properties of the carbon nanotube emitter paste were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), SEM mapping, ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectrophotometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), emission pattern, and current–voltage curve measurements. The UV–vis spectrophotometry indicated that the silane-modified HCNTs could be stably dispersed in toluene over 96 h. It was found that the compatibility between silane-modified HCNTs and the matrix material was mainly due to the interpenetrating polymer network structure between them. The thermal stability of the silane-modified HCNT emitter paste was improved by increasing the content of silane-modified HCNTs. A homogeneous emission was observed when using the silane-modified HCNT emitter paste. The current density extracted from the sample with the silane-modified HCNT emitter paste was higher than that with the HCNT emitter paste at a constant voltage. The turn-on fields of 3 wt % silane-modified HCNT emitter paste and HCNT emitter paste were 1.9 and 5.6 V/µm, respectively.
A triode structure carbon nanotube field-emission display was fabricated using the thick-film process. The critical dimensional uniformity of wet-etched thick insulator holes was enhanced by changing the wet etching mechanism from vertical dip-etching to horizontal spray-etching. The profile of the insulator holes fabricated using the new etcher was similar to anisotropic. After optimizing the operation conditions of the new etcher, the dimensional uniformity of the insulator holes increased to 97.7%. The optimal concentration of etchant was 2.2 wt % for achieving the least side etching of the insulator holes. The carbon nanotube paste was pattern-printed into the insulator holes. The uniform size of the insulator holes implied that the carbon nanotube distribution was similarly among the insulator holes. This result showed an improved uniform field emission image over the panel from 59 to 83.85%.
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