Structural and optical properties of chlorinated plasma polymers

• Published in: Thin solid films 2011-12, Vol.520 (5), p.1442-1445
• Main Authors: Turri, Rafael, Davanzo, Celso U., Schreiner, Wido, da Silva, José Humberto Dias, Appolinario, Marcelo Borgatto, Durrant, Steven F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon; Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Chlorination; Chlorine; Chloroform; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Contact angle; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Deposition; Exact sciences and technology; IRRAS; Materials science; Mathematical analysis; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Optical properties; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of specific thin films; Physics; Polymerization; Spectroscopy; XPS
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2011.07.038

Amorphous hydrogenated chlorinated carbon (a-C:H:Cl) films were produced by the plasma polymerization of chloroform–acetylene–argon mixtures in a radiofrequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The main parameter of interest was the proportion of chloroform in the feed, R C, which was varied from 0 to 80%. Deposition rates of 80 nm min − 1 were typical for the chlorinated films. Infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy revealed the presence of C–Cl groups in all the films produced with chloroform in the feed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed this finding, and revealed a saturation of the chlorine content at ~ 47 at.% for R C ≥ 40%. The refractive index and optical gap, E 04, of the films were roughly in the 1.6 to 1.7, and the 2.8 to 3.7 eV range. These values were calculated from transmission ultraviolet–visible-near infrared spectra. Chlorination leads to an increase in the water surface contact angle from ~ 40° to ~ 77°.