Low Damage Sputter Deposition of ITO Films on Organic Light Emitting Films

抄録

Damage to an aluminum (III) bis(2-methyl-8-quninolinato)-4-phenylphenolate (BAlq) layer was investigated during indium-tin oxide (ITO) deposition using a facing target sputtering (FTS) system in which the bombardment of negative oxygen ions and γ-electrons onto the substrate can be completely suppressed. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of BAlq was used to evaluate the damage on the organic layer after the deposition of an ITO thin film in Ar and Kr gas at different gas pressures and input power levels. The results suggest that the bombardment of reflected neutral atoms is not the main reason for the damage. The remnant damage from the bombardment of sputtered atoms can be reduced by sputtering at a higher gas pressure. Finally, the bombardment of the organic film by high-energy particles such as negative oxygen ions, γ-electrons, and sputter-emitted atoms was completely suppressed using an FTS system to attain low-damage and high-rate sputter ITO deposition.