Amorphous fluorocarbon polymer (a-C:F) films obtained by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition from perfluoro-octane (C8F18) vapor I: Deposition, morphology, structural and chemical properties

Abstract

The method of obtaining amorphous fluorocarbon polymer (a-C:F) films by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition in a capacitively coupled, 13.56 MHz reactor, from a new monomer, namely perfluoro-octane (C8F18) vapor, is presented. For monomer pressure ranging from 0.2 to 1 Torr and input power density from 0.15 to 0.85 W/cm3, the maximum deposition rate reached 300 nm/min, while 10% monomer dilution with argon led to a deposition rate of 200 nm/min. The film surface and bulk morphologies, chemical and structural compositions were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was revealed that the films have a dense and compact structure. The fluorine to carbon ratio (F/C) of the films was between 1.57 and 1.75, and the degree of cross-linking was between 55% and 58%. The relative amount of perfluoroalkyl (CF2) groups in the films was 29%. The FTIR spectra showed absorption bands corresponding to the different vibrational modes of CF, CF2, and CF3 moieties.