Plasma Polymerization:Theory and Practice

Abstract

Plasma polymerization of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) monomer has been carried out at 40kHz-magnetron discharge. The presence of magnetron causes electrons to move in spirals instead of straight lines which increases the frequency of collisions and hence fragmentation, resulting in dense polymer film deposits at lower pressures. HMDSO is a choice of industries because of its volatility, cheap availability and relatively non-toxic nature. Plasma polymerization depends on monomer flow rate, system pressure and discharge power among other variable parameters. In this work, film growth has been studied by thickness measurements with respect to change in flow rate of the monomer and applied power. The deposition rate, at constant power, increases at first and then decreases with further increase in flow rate. Plasma polymerization of HMDSO can be carried out at low temperatures which makes it possible to coat plastics without any thermal damage.