FMC5/FLX2-2 - Fabrication of thin-film coatings on large size ultra-thin glass for flexible devices

Ultra-thin flexible glass with thicknesses less than 200 μm opens up new fields of applications for high-end flexible electronics, see figure 1. It paves the way for the development of thin, light, robust, curved, and conformable devices. With bendability similar to other web materials, flexible glass excels in dimensional stability, thermal capability and chemical compatibility. Roll-to-roll processing using PVD deposition would allow efficient low-cost production of functional layers and layer stacks on flexible glass. The development of thin-film coating processes for ultra-thin glass and its integration into organic and hybrid electronic devices are cunent research topics with the highest priority. In this context we present research and development of thin-film vacuum and non-vacuum processes for large area coating in sheet-to-sheet and roll-to-roll mode for ultra-thin flexible glass. Through a steady development of those processes it would be possible to enhance ultra-thin glass for application in advanced electronic devices