Transparent Flexible Substrates Based on Polyimides with Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) Thin Films

In this paper, transparent flexible substrates based on polyimides (PIs) with aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films for organic electroluminescent devices have been prepared. PI film based on 2,2'-bis-(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropanedianhydride (6FDA) and 2,2'-bis-(trifluoromethyl)-4,4'-diaminobiphenyl (TFDB) were used for transparent flexible substrates. AZO thin films were prepared at two substrate deposition temperatures of 100/spl deg/C and 200/spl deg/C with a typical radio-frequency (r.f.) planar magnetron sputtering system. The sheet resistance and the optical transmission properties for AZO films on the fluorinated PI substrate were comparable with those for the AZO films on a glass substrate. The substrate properties were better when the deposition temperature was higher.