Thin-film Barrier Encapsulation Technology
Awards Won:
FLC Award - 2002
R&D 100 Award - 2000
R&D 100 Award - 1996
FLC Award - 1996
Available via licensee
The patented Barix™ coating protects electronic devices like the OLED shown above from degradation from environmental forces such as water. (Full size image)
Summary
For nearly 15 years, scientists at PNNL have been developing methods to encapsulate Organic Light Emitting Devices (OLEDs) and other types of thin-film electronic devices to protect them from degradation due to permeation from water vapor and other environmental factors. These efforts have resulted in over 50 issued U.S. patents and over twice the number of foreign counterparts covering material compositions, deposition methods, and devices related to the encapsulation process that are available for licensing from Vitex Systems, a company founded by Battelle in 2000. The three patents linked to this summary are only representative of the patents covering the process, while the fourth link provides a listing of the full portfolio of issued patents. Through high-speed deposition of organic and inorganic thin-film layers on a substrate, water vapor transmission rates of less than 8 x 10-5 grams/meter2 per day have been demonstrated on PET and less than 1.5x10-6 grams/meter2 per day on glass. Accelerated aging tests have demonstrated that encapsulating the OLED device does not degrade the efficiency of the device over time.
Although the primary focus of the development of the encapsulation process has been for use in OLEDs, the process is believed to have direct applicability to the encapsulation of other types of electronic devices, including thin-film batteries and photovoltaic cells. Initial studies of encapsulated thin-film batteries have demonstrated that battery activity can be maintained after they are encapsulated using the patented process. In addition, the high-speed multilayer process may be used in applications other than encapsulation, such as fabrication of advanced windows and production of color-shift pigments.
State of Development & Availability
The researchers at PNNL who contributed to the development of the encapsulation process are available to conduct proof-of-principle studies on the use of the process in customer applications.
The technology is available for licensing from Vitex Systems. Inquiries regarding such licensing should be directed to csuen@vitexsys.com.
