The new fabric electrode can replace ITO to simplify the flexible OLED manufacturing

The Swiss electronics and Micro Technology Center (CSEM) researchers and precision Sefar fabric property with design of a novel fabric electrode, the flexible and transparent fabric electrode with low cost, roll to roll (R2R) process for production.

The researchers first polymer fiber wire with a diameter of about 40 mu m translucent woven mesh precision in optically transparent polymer filled, and then to the organic conductor solution (such as PEDOT:PSS) thin layer coating on the substrate, thus achieved not containing indium tin oxide (ITO) of the flexible electrode, so that it can be used to display a large area of the organic light emitting diode (OLED). The metal wire fabric substrate due to its high conductivity, can ensure that the electrode still show high conductivity in a long distance, even using ultra-thin, highly transparent conductive polymer layer can also achieve the same effect.

According to Sefar documents, the SECSAR TCS Planar conductive fabric has been commercialized to about 90% transmittance, sheet resistance less than 0.1 ohm /sq showed in the visible and near infrared spectrum, even when the bending radius of bending of 6mm, almost to the conductivity decrease. This makes it an ideal alternative to transparent electrodes in general electronic applications (from touch display to solar cells, OLED) to replace expensive and fragile ITO layer.

Design of Sefar conductive fabric OLED

The fabric can be further coated with a transparent polymer, so that it can not penetrate the liquid and gas, while maintaining its conductivity, and provide a protective layer for humidity and oxygen, without significantly changing its transmission characteristics.

A micron sized conductive wire and a transparent polymer fiber are woven together and embedded in an optically transparent filled polymer. The substrate is coated with a conductive polymer to form an electrode to form a complete OLED assembly with a light-emitting polymer and a top electrode.

CSEM shows the use of new fabric structure to create a large area of flexible OLED

Sefar Research Manager Peter Chabrecek in the company said in a statement: "the use of Sefar fabric electrode without the support of the rail metal evaporation, optical lithography and electrical insulating process, greatly simplifying the production of large area OLED. "

In addition, the researchers can also use low-cost, high throughput of the volume of the production process of this kind of fabric, in the standard clean room environment with a speed of 10 meters per minute. Chabrecek is convinced that this research is expected to help Sefar play an important role in the electronics industry.

As the results of the study were released, Chabrecek predicted, "it will help our company to allow various types of optoelectronic components in the flexible transparent electrode market reached 20% market share by 2020. "

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