Experimental study on the reliability of water/fluoropolymer/ITO contact in electrowetting displays

Rui Zhou; Qianling Ye; Hui Li; Hongwei Jiang; Biao Tang; Guofu Zhou

Results in Physics (Mar 2019)

Experimental study on the reliability of water/fluoropolymer/ITO contact in electrowetting displays

Rui Zhou,
Qianling Ye,
Hui Li,
Hongwei Jiang,
Biao Tang,
Guofu Zhou

Affiliations

Rui Zhou: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; Corresponding authors at: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
Qianling Ye: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
Hui Li: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
Hongwei Jiang: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
Biao Tang: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
Guofu Zhou: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; Shenzhen Guohua Optoelectronics Tech. Co. Ltd., Shenzhen 518110, PR China; Academy of Shenzhen Guohua Optoelectronics, Shenzhen 518110, PR China; Corresponding authors at: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12
pp. 1991 – 1998

Abstract

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The practicability of using DI water in electrowetting displays with a thick layer of fluoropolymer and the reliability of water/fluoropolymer/indium tin oxide contact was investigated experimentally. Electrowetting performances of DI water on a fluoropolymer coating of indium tin oxide surface were tested via sessile droplet test, compared with that of ionic solutions. A platform with a camera system was built to study the electrical property and breakdown phenomenon in water/fluoropolymer/indium tin oxide contact under a DC voltage sweep up to 200 V. The I-V characteristics and synchronized video were used to analyze the charge transport mechanism and anodic/cathodic reactions in the failure process. DI water was proved to be conducting enough for electrowetting displays and liquid conductivity had very little influence on the electrowetting performance. The failure processes of samples with fluoropolymer coating of different thicknesses were studied. Samples with relatively thin fluoropolymer coating showed a rapid increasing leakage current after certain voltage threshold and severe gas evolution, ITO corrosion and fluoropolymer delamination were observed via the camera system. Samples with fluoropolymer coating thicker than 800 nm showed good insulating property in the I-V test and only a few gas bubbles and pitting corrosion dots were observed. The sample with a fluoropolymer coating of 1000 nm showed a maximum leakage current density of 13.6 µA/cm2 at the voltage of 200 V, which is promising for a single layer electrowetting display device. Keywords: Reliability, Fluoropolymer, Water, ITO, EFD

Published in Results in Physics

ISSN: 2211-3797 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Physics
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/results-in-physics/

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