This study tracks the physical aging behavior of coated and uncoated ultra-thin poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP) films on silicon wafers based on the refractive index using ellipsometry. The measured refractive index directly correlates with the free volume and hence the physical aging progression. Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) creates coatings with different thicknesses and oxidation degrees onto PTMSP films. Compared to uncoated PTMSP films, the PECVD-coated films show a reduction of the refractive index increase of more than two orders of magnitude for less than 10 nm thin SiOx coatings. In contrast, SiOCH films show only a minor impact. The results reveal the superior physical aging behavior of PECVD-coated films compared to untreated PTMSP films.
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