Issue 15, 2023

Investigation of the reliability of nano-nickel/niobium oxide-based multilayer thin films deposited on polymer substrates for flexible electronic applications

Abstract

Flexible electronics are attractive for a range of applications, such as wearable gadgets and personalized medicine, because of their flexibility, stretchability, and adaptability. However, the reliability of such devices, both mechanical and electrical, is a bottleneck for their widespread application across different use-case scenarios. Here, we report the reliability of nickel–niobium oxide (crystalline–amorphous) sandwich nanolayers on a PI substrate (Ni–Nb2O5–PI) compared to pure nickel (Ni) nanolayers on a PI substrate (Ni–PI) as a potential candidate for electrodes or interconnects for flexible electronic or energy devices. A tailored rate-dependent bending failure/fracture test system was used to analyze the electrical resistance (oscillations) as a function of the loading cycles of the sample deposited on polyimide (PI) (the compliant substrate). Resistance oscillation amplitude during the rate-dependent bending failure/fracture test for Ni–PI (∼6%) was higher compared to that of Ni–Nb2O5–PI (∼2%), suggesting a low resistance change and consequently low mechanical deformation for Ni–Nb2O5–PI. Nanoindentation experiments were also performed to ascertain the hardness and reduced elastic modulus of the samples. Hardness of Ni–PI (∼1.4 GPa) was lower compared to that of Ni-Nb2O5-PI (∼2.4 GPa) suggesting high flow strength for Ni–Nb2O5–PI. Therefore, the incorporation of amorphous niobium oxide into samples otherwise composed of Ni nanolayers significantly improved their fatigue/fracture strength with a slight reduction in electrical conductivity with appreciably low resistance oscillation (amplitude) essential for operational reliability of flexible devices. We also demonstrated that the nickel–niobium oxide/polyimide stack was electrically/mechanically stable up to 500 K stress cycles at a bending radius of 8.5 mm.

Graphical abstract: Investigation of the reliability of nano-nickel/niobium oxide-based multilayer thin films deposited on polymer substrates for flexible electronic applications

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Mar 2023
Accepted
19 Jun 2023
First published
23 Jun 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Adv., 2023,4, 3257-3269

Investigation of the reliability of nano-nickel/niobium oxide-based multilayer thin films deposited on polymer substrates for flexible electronic applications

R. Sahay, Y. Tu, I. Aziz, A. S. Budiman, C. M. Tan, P. S. Lee, O. Thomas and N. Raghavan, Mater. Adv., 2023, 4, 3257 DOI: 10.1039/D3MA00147D

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