Plasma polymer films and their future prospects

Plasma polymerization processes began their fast development in the 1950s. They have been widely recognized during the last 20 years and several successful applications have emerged. Two special groups of plasma polymers that have received increased attention in recent years are treated in detail here. First, the deposition process and basic properties such as the structure, morphology, electrical and optical properties, and ageing of metal (Ag, Ni, Mo) and semiconductor (Ge)/hard plasma polymer (C:H) composites are described consisely. The deposition process is based on unbalanced magnetron sputtering with the target operated in an argon/n-hexane working gas mixture. Second, the preparation of plasma polymer films by radio-frequency sputtering from polymeric targets is introduced and their basic properties, especially structure and morphology, are revealed. Most attention is paid to fluorocarbon plasma polymer films sputtered from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). For both groups of plasma polymers, application possibilities are discussed. The whole range of plasma polymers and their future prospects are summarized, starting from those resembling conventional polymers that are prepared at low power, and ending with the new materials prepared at high power. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.