Growth of plasma-polymerized thin films by PECVD method and study on their surface and optical characteristics

Abstract

We have deposited organic polymer thin films on glass and Si(100) substrates at room temperature using organic precursor by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. Methylcyclohexane and ethylcyclohexane were utilized as organic precursors, and hydrogen and Ar were used as a bubbler and carrier gas. We especially compared the surface and optical properties of plasma-polymerized organic thin films with various RF power. AFM data showed that the plasma-polymerized films with smooth surface and sharp interface could be grown under various deposition conditions. The surface and optical properties of as-grown plasma-polymerized thin films were analyzed by contact angle measurement as well as FT-IR and UV–Visible spectrophotometer. As the plasma power was increased, the contact angle, refractive index, and main absorption peak of thin films were increased while the optical transmittance was decreased, signifying that the plasma-polymerized organic films have more low surface energy with increasing RF power.