| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology Division | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session PS+SS+TF-WeA |
| Session: | Plasma Deposition |
| Presenter: | Karyn Jarvis, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia |
| Authors: | K.L. Jarvis, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia N.P. Reynolds, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia L.D. Hyde, Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, Australia S.L. McArthur, Swinburne University of Technology and CSIRO, Australia |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Plasma polymerization modifies surfaces via the deposition of a thin film containing specific functional groups. The organic monomer is introduced into the chamber as a vapour, fragmented via radio frequency and deposited onto all surfaces in contact with the plasma. Plasma polymerization is typically referred to as ‘substrate independent’, but is this true for short deposition times? Does the substrate conductivity, chemistry or roughness influence the early stage deposition of plasma polymer films? In this study, plasma polymerized acrylic acid (ppAAc) and allylamine (ppAA) were deposited onto glass, silicon, gold and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) substrates for deposition times of 10 to 600 seconds. Surface chemistry was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy while surface roughness was determined using atomic force microscopy. Film thickness measurements were made by spectroscopic ellipsometry and wettability determined via contact angle measurements. Different contact angle behaviours were observed between the deposition of ppAAc and ppAA films, while different substrates resulted in different contact angle trends for ppAA. For ppAAc films deposited for 10 seconds, all substrates became more hydrophobic (80-100°) and was proposed to be due to ‘island’ film formation, which would increase surface roughness and therefore increase hydrophobicity. For ppAA films deposited for 10 seconds, the contact angles of all substrates except FEP increase/decrease to 60-70° and do not significantly change as deposition time increase. Such behaviour suggests the ppAA films may deposit continuously from the start, unlike ppAAc which may initially form film islands. Unlike all the other substrates, FEP showed the same behaviour for both monomers, suggesting initial island formation for both monomers. These initial results suggest that for short deposition times, the underlying substrate does have some influence on the formation of plasma polymerized films.