Robert William Eveson

Latest advances in substrates for flexible electronics

Abstract— Recent advances in both organic- and inorganic-based electronics processed on flexible substrates offer substantial rewards in terms of being able to develop displays that are thinner, lighter, robust, and conformable, and can be rolled away when not required. In addition, plastic-based substrates coupled with the recent developments in solution deposition and ink-jet printing for laying down OLED materials and active-matrix thin-film-transistor (TFT) arrays open up the possibility of cost-effective processing in high volumes using roll to roll (R2R) processing. To replace glass, however, a plastic substrate needs to be able to offer some or all of the properties of glass, i.e., clarity, dimensional stability, thermal stability, barrier, solvent resistance, and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) coupled with a smooth surface. In addition, a conductive layer may be required. No plastic film offers all these properties so any plastic-based substrate will almost certainly be a multilayer composite structure. This paper will discuss the issues associated with selecting plastic materials, contrast the various options, and highlight how to gain optimum performance through process control. This will be illustrated with examples of film in use in flexible electronic applications.

New Developments In Polyester Film For Flexible Electronics

Polyester films are well-known substrates for a wide range of electronic applications. This contribution will describe new developments in polyester film substrates for OLED displays.

P-17: Plastic Displays - New Developments in Polyester Film for Plastic Electronics

Polyester films are well-known substrates for a wide range of electronic applications. This contribution will describe new developments in polyester film substrates for OLED displays.

P‐65: Optimising Polyester Films for Flexible Electronic Applications

DuPont Teijin Films™ (DTF) have developed engineered substrates for the flexible electronics market. Teonex ®Q65FA and Melinex® ST506/504 are biaxially oriented semi-crystalline polyesters. for applications requiring high surface smoothness over wide area, planarised Teonex® Q65FA and Melinex® ST506 are emerging as suitable substrate materials for backplanes and frontplanes. The property set requirements for these films can be demanding as they are replacing rigid glass substrates. It is important to understand and control factors that can influence properties to achieve the optimum performance for a given flexible display application. This contribution will discuss the impact of applying a planariser coating to biaxially oriented semi-crystalline polymers.

P‐62: Latest Developments In Polyester Film For Flexible Electronics

DuPont Teijin Films(DTF) have developed engineered substrates specifically for the flexible electronics market. Teonex ®Q65 is a biaxially oriented crystalline polyester with a tailored surface and it is emerging as a competitive material for the base substrate in OLED displays and active matrix backplanes. To meet the demanding requirements of flexible displays the engineered substrates are likely to be multilayer structures. This contribution will discuss the mechanical properties of multilayer structures on flexing and the impact of the processing environment on dimensional reproducibility. Understanding the influence of these factors is critical to achieving the performance required of substrates for flexible electronic applications.

P‐50: The Impact of Thermal Stress, Mechanical Stress and Environment on Dimensional Reproducibility of Polyester Film During Flexible Electronics Processing

DuPont Teijin Films™ (DTF) have developed engineered substrates specifically for the flexible electronics market. Teonex ®Q65 and Melinex ST506/504 are biaxially oriented crystalline polyesters with the option of planarised surfaces are emerging as competitive materials for the base substrate in OLED displays and active matrix backplanes. Given the demanding dimensional reproducibility requirements in the display applications, it is critical to control the several factors that can influence the film distortion to achieve the ultimate performance that can be achieved with the base substrate. This paper will discuss the impact of thermal stress, mechanical stress and the processing environment on dimensional reproducibility of polyester film and give examples of how this impacts on the film in device manufacture.

P‐56: The Impact of Environment on Dimensional Reproducibility of Polyester Film during Flexible Electronics Processing

DuPont Teijin Films(DTF) have developed engineered substrates specifically for the flexible electronics market. Teonex ®Q65 is a biaxially oriented crystalline polyester with a tailored surface and it is emerging as a competitive material for the base substrate in OLED displays and active matrix backplanes. Given the demanding dimensional reproducibility requirements in the more demanding display applications, uncontrolled moisture absorption during the processing cycle could potentially be far more significant than the inherent shrinkage of the base substrate. Understanding the impact of this effect and optimising the processing steps involved in device manufacture will be critical to achieving the ultimate performance that can be achieved with the base substrate. This contribution will discuss the impact of the processing environment on dimensional reproducibility of polyethylene naphthalate film (Teonex® Q65) and give examples of the film in use.