DC conduction mechanism in plasma polymerized vinylene carbonate thin films prepared by glow discharge technique

Abstract

Electrical glow discharge technique was employed for the preparation of plasma polymerized vinylene carbonate (PPVC) thin films of aluminum/thin film/aluminum sandwich structure at room temperature by a parallel plate capacitively coupled reactor. The structural investigation of the monomer VC and PPVC was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The current density-voltage characteristics follow a power law of the form J α V n , where n has different values. In the low voltage region 0.85 < n < 1.00 and those in the high voltage region lie between 1.30 < n < 1.75, indicating Ohmic current conduction in the low voltage region and non-Ohmic conduction in the high voltage region. In addition, at higher temperature the current density increased significantly revealing a temperature dependence of the current density. Theoretically calculated values and experimental results of Schottky and Poole-Frenkel coefficients show that the most probable conduction mechanism in the PPVC thin films is of Schottky type.