Fabrication of high-conductivity, transparent electrodes with trenched metal bus lines
Abstract
A novel transparent electrode system has been developed for thin film electroluminescent displays in which the poor conductivity of the indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrodes has been augmented by high-conductivity buses of thick aluminum or silver. The augmented electrode system consists of patterned ITO electrodes, 200 µm wide, centered over narrow aluminum or silver lines 40 µm wide and separated by an intermediate diffusion barrier film of titanium to promote adhesion to the ITO and prevent blackening of the main ITO electrode by interfacial reactions. The sheet resistances of the augmented ITO electrodes (Al-Ti-ITO and Ti-Ag-Ti-ITO) were lowered by two orders of magnitude relative to the unaugmented ITO electrodes, yielding absolute values on the order of 0.1 Cl/s. © 1991, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.