Paper SE+NC-WeA3
Processing and Characterization of Polymer-Ceramic Nanolaminate Thin Films

Wednesday, October 22, 2008, 2:20 pm, Room 204

Polymer-ceramic nanolaminate thin films were synthesized by coupling chemical and physical vapor deposition processes. Highly cross-linked fluoropolymer layers were deposited by room temperature plasma enhanced physical vapor deposition from octafluorocyclobutane (OFCB) precursor gas. Gas flow rates, substrate position and rf power were examined to produce a dense polymer coating with a minimum refractive index of 1.38. Magnetron sputtering processes were investigated for deposition of amorphous TiO₂ with a high refractive index. Stoichiometric TiO₂ with a refractive index >2.3 was produced via reactive sputtering and sputtering of a titania target in pure Ar, however, reactive sputtering in an oxygen atmosphere resulted in decomposition of the polymer film. Multiple polymer-ceramic film architectures were investigated, including a quarter wave stack notch filter consisting of alternating TiO₂ and fluoropolymer layers (3 and 2 layers, respectively). Analysis of nanoindentation results was used to compare the fracture toughness and other mechanical properties of multilayered and monolithic films. The combination of optical and mechanical properties for different nanolaminate architectures revealed that the coupling of polymer-ceramic thin film materials has potential for the development of useful electro-optical devices with remarkable toughness and flexibility compared to the current state of the art.