The present disclosure pertains to a barrier stack for thin film and/or printed electronics on substrates having a diffusible element and/or species, methods of manufacturing the same, and methods of inhibiting or preventing diffusion of a diffusible element or species in a substrate using the same. The barrier stack includes a first barrier layer on the substrate, an insulator layer on the first barrier layer, a second barrier layer on the insulator layer in a first region of the substrate, and a third barrier layer on the insulator layer in a second region of the substrate and on the second barrier layer in the first region. Each of the second and third barrier layers has a thickness less than that of the first barrier layer.