Evaporation method for forming a gas barrier film having an organosilicon dispersed discontinuously in an inorganic matrix

A method for coating a surface with a gas barrier film comprising:

• providing a substrate in an evacuated chamber, a surface of the substrate having a determinable initial gaseous permeability to oxygen or carbon dioxide;
• contacting the surface with an inorganic evaporated species derived from evaporating an inorganic evaporative source, the surface and the inorganic source being a first spaced distance from one another within the chamber, the inorganic evaporated species forming a substantially continuous inorganic film on the surface during the contacting;
• and,
• incorporating an organosilicon into the forming film while maintaining the surface in electrical isolation from the chamber, the incorporated organosilicon being in a substantially organosilicon monomeric molecular form and being substantially discontinuous within the film, the incorporated organosilicon being derived from an organosilicon gas stream flowed into the chamber between the surface and the inorganic source.