Abstract
In this study, an inorganic multilayer barrier film was fabricated on the polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrate, which was composed of a SiO(2) layer prepared by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) and a Al(2)O(3)/ZnO nanolaminate produced by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). The multilayer composite film with a structure of 50 nm SiO(2) + (4.5 nm Al(2)O(3)/6 nm ZnO) × 4 has excellent optical transmittance (88.1%) and extremely low water vapor permeability (3.3 × 10(-5) g/m(2)/day, 38 °C, 90% RH), indicating the cooperation of the two advanced film growth methods. The results suggest that the defects of the SiO(2) layer prepared by ICP-CVD were effectively repaired by the PEALD layer, which has excellent defect coverage. And Al(2)O(3)/ZnO nanolaminates have advantages over single-layer Al(2)O(3) due to their complex diffusion pathways. The multilayer barrier film offers potential for encapsulating organic electronic devices that require a longer lifespan.