Surface masking technique for the determination of plasma polymer film thickness by AFM

被引：50

作者：

Hartley, Patrick G. ^{[1
]}

Thissen, Helmut ^{[1
]}

Vaithianathan, Tharshan ^{[1
]}

Griesser, Hans J. ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] CSIRO Molecular Science, Bag 10, Clayton South, Vic. 3169, Australia

来源：

Plasmas and Polymers | 2000年 / 5卷 / 01期

关键词：

Atomic force microscopy - Density (specific gravity) - Deposition - Plasma polymerization - Plastic coatings - Reaction kinetics - Substrates - Surface chemistry - Surface topography - Thickness measurement - X ray photoelectron spectroscopy;

D O I：

10.1023/A:1009508426115

中图分类号：

学科分类号：

摘要：

A method for the determination of coating film thicknesses at nanometer resolution based on surface masking and atomic force microscopy (AFM) is described. A polymeric mask is used to cover part of a substrate during the deposition of thin polymeric coatings by plasma polymerization, allowing the production of well defined polymer steps of heights of a few tens of nanometers. Tapping mode AFM has been employed to analyze the topography of these steps at high resolution. This method has also allowed accurate measurement of the kinetics of the deposition of plasma polymer films over a range of exposure times. XPS analysis of different substrate surfaces following mask removal found barely detectable residues, suggesting that the underlying surface chemistry remains unchanged, and accessible for further modification. In combination with quartz crystal microgravimetry, the method has been applied to the measurement of the density of plasma polymer coatings in the thickness range 4-50 nm.

引用

页码：47 / 60