Influence of Oxygen on the Chemical Structure of Plasma Polymer Films Deposited from a Mixture of Tetravinylsilane and Oxygen Gas

Abstract

Tetravinylsilane was used to deposit hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a‐SiC:H) films with vinyl groups as functional species using an RF (13.56 MHz) pulsed plasma. Oxygen gas was mixed in tetravinylsilane to improve the compatibility of a‐SiOC:H thin films with the silicon dioxide component. The oxygen‐to‐total‐flow rate ratio and effective power were the only variable deposition parameters. The deposited films were analyzed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, elastic recoil detection analysis, and infrared spectroscopy to determine the elemental composition and chemical structure of the plasma polymer. The chemical structure of the films was correlated with plasma species monitored by mass spectroscopy during the deposition process. The results clarified changes in the chemical structure of the films under the influence of oxygen.

Elastic Modulus and Hardness of Plasma‐Polymerized Organosilicones Evaluated by Nanoindentation Techniques

“…The results for chemical properties of pp‐TVS/O 2 films enabled the creation of a rough conception of the plasma polymer network influenced by incorporated oxygen atoms. The film deposited at a power of 10 W was formed mostly of a carbon network with a small proportion of Si–C bonding species and the vinyl as side groups, whose number increased with decreased power.…”

“…The film thickness of the observed pp‐TVS and pp‐TVS/O 2 films, determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry, was about 1.0 μm. The elemental composition of the thin films was studied by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA) methods; the chemical structure was investigated using a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer . Influence of the effective power and oxygen gas on the mechanical properties of the pp‐TVS and pp‐TVS/O 2 films was investigated by cyclic nanoindentation (Section 2.3).…”

“…Increasing the oxygen flow rate, the oxygen atoms were partly incorporated in the plasma polymer network, forming Si–O–C bonding species, and partly used to form side hydroxyl and carbonyl groups, slightly eliminating the vinyl groups. The high concentration of carbonyl groups (CO) confirmed by FTIR spectra for pp‐TVS/O 2 films deposited at 2.5 W may result in decreased cross‐linking of plasma polymer network, as the incorporated oxygen atoms eliminate two bonds from each carbon atom used potentially to cross‐link the network. Thus, the O/C ratio may be used to characterize the level of plasma polymer cross‐linking.…”

Optical Properties of Oxidized Plasma-Polymerized Organosilicones and Their Correlation with Mechanical and Chemical Parameters

“…Data are differentiated according to the effective power. Details of chemical analysis can be found in previous studies [17,18].…”

Functional multilayer coatings of tetravinylsilane

“…For this reason, the layer A was deposited from pure TVS monomer (P eff =10 W, F TVS =0.55 sccm, p dep = 1.5 Pa) and the layer B from a mixture of TVS vapor and oxygen gas (P eff =0.1 W, F TVS =0.11 sccm, F O2 =0.43 sccm, p dep =1.1 Pa) The oxygenfree layer A was formed mostly of a carbon network with a small proportion of Si-C bonding species and the vinyl as side groups, while the oxygen-rich layer B consisted of plasma polymer network incorporating Si-O-C bonding species and a high concentration of side hydroxyl and carbonyl groups [6]. Two sets of the bilayer coating were deposited as AB and BA layered systems.…”