Fabrication and Characterization of Luminescence Film Sensor for Detecting Defects of Barrier Films

Abstract

The most critical issue on flexible electronics such as organic solar-cell, OLEDs, and flexible display is the protection of the core active materials from the degradation by water and oxygen. The defect of barrier film is the main channel for the transmission of water and oxygen molecules. Herein, in order to monitor the defects of barrier films, we have developed anthracene boronic acid pinacol ester (ABAPE) sensor which is very sensitive to water vapor. When ABAPE film is exposed to water, it gives off fluorescence emission at 389 and 408 nm under excitation peak at 366 nm. Based on the fluorescence microscopy and SEM images, the optical method using the ABAPE sensor film can monitor the defects of barrier film smaller than 1 μm. This result suggests that ABAPE can be utilized to monitor the defect and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) in the barrier film.