| Plasma polymerization of methane by a magnetron glow discharge has been studied. Transparent films were prepared under a wide range of operating conditions. It was found that the deposition rate is a function of W/FM, where W is the power input, F is the monomer flow rate, and M is the molecular weight of the monomer. Two different plasma regions, the power deficient plasma region and the monomer deficient plasma region, have been identified and defined for the plasma polymerization of methane. Infrared spectra reveal that the plasma polymerization of methane produces a saturated hydrocarbon which is not only highly branched but also highly crosslinked.;The effects of the internal electrodes on plasma polymerization by a magnetron glow discharge have been investigated. Internal electrodes of various materials, such as aluminum, copper, and stainless steel have been used in this study. ESCA data confirmed that the sputtering of electrodes can occur in a methane plasma which is a polymer-forming plasma. The sputtering of electrodes for methane plasma depends on the excess-energy ratio, ((W/FM)-(W/FM)(,c))/(W/FM)(,c), where W is the power input, FM is the monomer mass flow rate, and (W/FM)(,c) is the critical composite parameter above which the deposition rate of plasma polymer is independent of W/FM. The dependence of the sputtering of electrodes on the excess-energy ratio varies with electrodes of different materials. The conditioning of electrodes improves the reproducibility and eliminates the uncertainty of the surface condition of the electrodes.;Plasma polymerization of a methane-nitrogen gas mixture has also been studied. The effect of the operating parameters, such as total flow rate, power input, and the composition of the gas mixture, on plasma polymerization was investigated. The resulted plasma polymers were examined using infrared spectroscopy, ESCA, SEM, and water-contact angle measurement. It was found that nitrogen is indeed incorporated into the resulted plasma polymer. |
