Nanoparticulate encapsulation barrier stack

Abstract

A barrier stack for encapsulating a moisture and/or oxygen sensitive electronic device is provided. The barrier stack comprises a multilayer film having at least one barrier layer having low moisture and/or oxygen permeability, and at least one sealing layer arranged to be in contact with a surface of the barrier layer, wherein the sealing material comprises reactive nanoparticles capable of interacting with moisture and/or oxygen, thereby retarding the permeation of moisture and/or oxygen through defects present in the barrier layer.

1 - 60 . (canceled) 
     
     
         61 . An encapsulation barrier stack for encapsulating at least one of a moisture and oxygen sensitive article, comprising:
 a multilayer film comprising:
 at least one barrier layer having at least one of low moisture and low oxygen permeability; and 
 at least one sealing layer arranged to be in contact with a surface of the at least one barrier layer for plugging at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer, 
 wherein the at least one sealing layer comprises reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles capable of interacting by way of chemical reaction with at least one of moisture and oxygen to retard the permeation of the at least one of moisture and oxygen through the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer, and 
 wherein the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles present in the at least one sealing layer plug the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer. 
   
     
     
         62 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , wherein the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles have different at least one of shapes and sizes for controlling the sealing and plugging of the at least one defect. 
     
     
         63 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , wherein a permeation rate of the barrier stack having the at least one sealing layer on the surface of the at least one barrier layer is 10 −3  g/m 2 /day or less. 
     
     
         64 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , wherein the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles comprise a material selected from the group consisting of metals and metal oxides. 
     
     
         65 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 64 , wherein the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Ti, Mg, Ba and Ca. 
     
     
         66 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 64 , wherein the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles comprise a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 , ZnO, BaO, SrO, CaO and MgO, VO 2 , CrO 2 , MOO 2 , and LiMn 2 O 4  or a transparent conductive oxide selected from the group consisting of cadmium stannate (Cd 2 SnO 4 ), cadmium indate (CdIn 2 O 4 ), zinc stannate (Zn 2 SnO 4  and ZnSnO 3 ), and zinc indium oxide (Zn 2 In 2 O 5 ). 
     
     
         67 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , the at least one sealing layer further comprises inert nanoparticles capable of obstructing the permeation of the at least one of moisture and oxygen through the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer. 
     
     
         68 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 67 , wherein the inert nanoparticles comprise a material selected from the group consisting of gold, copper, silver, platinum, silica, wollastonite, mullite, monmorillonite, silicate glass, fluorosilicate glass, fluoroborosilicate glass, aluminosilicate glass, calcium silicate glass, calcium aluminum silicate glass, calcium aluminum fluorosilicate glass, titanium carbide, zirconium carbide, zirconium nitride, silicon carbide, or silicon nitride, metal sulfides, and a mixture or combination thereof. 
     
     
         69 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , wherein the size of the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles is smaller than the average diameter of the defects present in the at least one barrier layer. 
     
     
         70 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , wherein when the at least one of the oxygen and moisture sensitive article comprises an electroluminescent electronic component, the average size of the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles is less than one-half the characteristic wavelength of light produced by the electroluminescent electronic component. 
     
     
         71 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , wherein the at least one sealing layer further comprises a polymeric binder. 
     
     
         72 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , further comprising a substrate for supporting the multilayer film arranged thereon. 
     
     
         73 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 72 , wherein the substrate comprises a material selected from polyacetate, polypropylene, polyimide, cellophane, poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne, poly(4-methyl-2-pentyne), polyimide, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polyethersulfone, epoxy resins, polyethylene terepthalate, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyacrylate, and polydimethylphenylene oxide, styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), nylon, nitrocellulose, cellulose, glass, indium tin oxide, nano-clays, silicones, polydimethylsiloxanes, biscyclopentadienyl iron, and polyphosphazenes. 
     
     
         74 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , wherein the at least one barrier layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metal oxide, a ceramic, an inorganic polymer, an organic polymer and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         75 . The encapsulation barrier stack of  claim 61 , wherein the at least one barrier layer comprises a material selected from indium tin oxide (ITO), TiAlN, SiO 2 , SiC, Si 3 N 4 , TiO 2 , HfO 2 , Y 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , and Al 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         76 . An electronic device comprising:
 an active component that is sensitive to at least one of moisture and oxygen, the active component being arranged within an encapsulation barrier stack for encapsulating at least one of a moisture and oxygen sensitive article, the encapsulation barrier stack comprising:   a multilayer film comprising:
 at least one barrier layer having at least one of low moisture and low oxygen permeability; and 
 at least one sealing layer arranged to be in contact with a surface of the at least one barrier layer, for plugging at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer, 
 wherein the at least one sealing layer comprises reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles capable of interacting by way of chemical reaction with at least one of moisture and oxygen to retard the permeation of the at least one of moisture and oxygen through the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer, and 
 wherein the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles present in the at least one sealing layer plug the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer. 
   
     
     
         77 . The electronic device of  claim 76 , wherein the active component is selected from the group consisting of an Organic Light Emitting Device (OLED), charged-coupled device (CCD), and micro-electro-mechanical sensors (MEMS). 
     
     
         78 . A method to manufacture an encapsulation barrier stack for encapsulating at least one of a moisture and oxygen sensitive article, the method comprising:
 forming at least one barrier layer, the at least one barrier layer having at least one of low moisture and low oxygen permeability; and   forming at least one sealing layer on a surface of the at least one barrier layer,   wherein forming the at least one sealing layer comprises conformal deposition of the at least one sealing layer over the at least one barrier layer under vacuum or in an inert gas environment,   wherein the at least one sealing layer is arranged to be in contact with the surface of the at least one barrier layer to plug at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer,   wherein the at least one sealing layer comprises reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles capable of interacting by way of chemical reaction with at least one of moisture and oxygen to retard the permeation of the at least one of moisture and oxygen through the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer, and   wherein the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles present in the at least one sealing layer plug the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer.   
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 78 , wherein the conformal deposition comprises mixing a polymeric binding material with a nanoparticle dispersion comprising the reactive unhydrolyzed nanoparticles dispersed in a solvent for doping the nanoparticle dispersion with the polymeric binding material to form a sealing mixture, and optionally polymerizing the sealing mixture over the at least one barrier layer. 
     
     
         80 . An encapsulation barrier stack for encapsulating at least one of a moisture and oxygen sensitive article, comprising:
 a multilayer film, the multilayer film comprising at least one barrier layer having at least one of low moisture and low oxygen permeability; and   at least one sealing layer arranged to be in contact with a surface of the at least one barrier layer for entirely plugging at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer,   wherein the at least one sealing layer is formed on the surface of the at least one barrier layer such that at least a portion of the at least one sealing layer conforms to the shape of the at least one defect present on the surface of the barrier layer, thereby occupying or filling up entirely the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer, and   wherein the at least one sealing layer comprises reactive nanoparticles capable of interacting by way of chemical reaction with at least one of moisture and oxygen to retard the permeation of the at least one of moisture and oxygen through the at least one defect present in the at least one barrier layer.