Plasma polymerization and deposition of linear, cyclic and aromatic fluorocarbons on (100)-oriented single crystal silicon substrates

Abstract

Fluoropolymer films were deposited on the Ar plasma-pretreated Si(100) surfaces by plasma polymerization of perfluorohexane (PFH, a linear fluorocarbon), perfluoro(methylcyclohexane) (MCH, a cyclic fluorocarbon), and hexafluorobenzene (HFB, an aromatic fluorocarbon) under different glow discharge conditions. The effects of the radio-frequency plasma power on the chemical composition and structure of the plasma-polymerized fluoropolymer films were studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, and water contact angle measurements. The changes in structure and composition of the three types of the plasma-deposited films from those of the respective fluorocarbons were compared. Under similar glow discharge conditions: (i) the extent of defluorination was highest for the PFH polymer, (ii) the deposition rate was highest for the HFB polymer, (iii) the cyclic structure of MCH was less well preserved than the aromatic structure of HFB, (iv) aliphatic structures appeared in the plasma-deposited MCH polymer, and (v) the plasma-polymerized HFB has the highest thermal stability due to the preservation of the aromatic rings. The adhesive tape peel test results revealed that the plasma-polymerized and deposited fluoropolymer layers were strongly bonded to the Ar plasma-pretreated Si(100) surfaces.