The excitation frequency is known to have an effect on the rate of deposition of polymer thin films produced by a glow discharge process. This has been attributed to changes in the electron energy distribution function (EEDF). Any appreciable change in the EEDF would be expected to be revealed by plasma emission spectroscopy. Our findings are herein reported for deposition plasmas containing C3 H6 and Ar at dc, 40-kHz, and 27.12-MHz excitation frequencies; included are data on film deposition rate and optical clarity which also vary with excitation frequency.

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