Electrical insulation and bending properties of SiOx barrier layers prepared on flexible stainless steel foils by different preparing methods

Stainless steel foils on which flexible display devices and integrated solar modules are prepared need to be coated by barrier layers for electrical insulation. In this study, SiO(x) barrier layer was prepared on steel foils (SUS 304) by ion beam assisted deposition, Sol gel deposition and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, respectively. The electrical properties of the SiO(x) films, such as resistance, reactance, leakage current density, breakdown field strength and performance index were investigated, and the bending properties were evaluated by bending tests. The best electrical insulation and bending properties of barrier could be achieved with 4 mu m thick SiO(x) layer prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.