Plasma polymerization of rhodamine 6G thin films

A method for the direct deposition of dye-containing plasma polymers by the direct plasma polymerization of Rh6G molecules was presented. The deposition procedure was carried out at room temperature in a remote Ar microwave plasma at relatively low power and pressure. The surface of the plasma polymer was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and the film was found to be very smooth and crack-free with a RMS value of ∼ 0.4 nm for a ∼ 90 nm thick film. It was shown that the novel materials like Rh6G, obtained by direct plasma deposition of a laser dye, can be directly applied for the fabrication of wave-length selective filters, and for technical applications that requires intensely coloured insoluble ultra-thin films.