AVS 51st International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Wednesday Sessions
       Session PS1-WeM

Paper PS1-WeM2
Growth, Characterization and Application of Plasma-Assisted Nano-Coatings

Wednesday, November 17, 2004, 8:40 am, Room 213A

Session: Plasma in Nanoscale Applications
Presenter: P.P. Joshi, Wright State University
Authors: P.P. Joshi, Wright State University
R.V. Pulikollu, Wright State University
S. Higgins, Wright State University
S.M. Mukhopadhyay, Wright State University
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Plasma-assisted coatings have significant application potential as they can be tailored to impart desired properties to the surface. The goal here is to develop a fundamental understanding of the initial stages of growth of these coatings on model flat substrates, and then test the applicability of these on uneven structures. Two types of plasma assisted functional coatings are studied: viz. oxide coatings that imparting surface reactivity (or hydrophilicity) and fluorocarbon coatings that imparting surface inertness (or hydrophobicity). XPS was used for detailed study of chemical composition of the substrate and coating atoms at various stages of deposition. Atomic force microscopy was used to study the morphology of these coatings as they grow. Combined XPS and AFM results for both the coatings rule out any possibility of the patchy coatings with exposed substrate (complete coverage of substrate), and also indicate that these coatings are effective on nanometer scale. These studies show that plasma-assisted chemical deposition can be a very viable approach to creating functional nano-coatings on surfaces of nano-structured solids. Initial studies on single-crystal silicon were followed up with comparative studies on different types of substrates (sapphire, graphite etc.). The effectiveness of these coatings on uneven surfaces such as composite core structures and fibrous films will be discussed.