Physical and optical properties of plasma polymerized thin films deposited by PECVD method

Polymer-like organic thin films were deposited at room temperature and different radio-frequency (r.f.) powers by PECVD method using ethylcyclohexane as precursor. To compare the optical properties as well as the electrochemical properties of the organic films, the effects of the r.f. plasma power were mainly investigated in this study. The optical properties of as-grown plasma polymerized thin films were analyzed by ellipsometry and UV-visible spectroscopy. The corrosion protective abilities were also examined by potentiodynamic curves measurements in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The experimental results show an increased of corrosion protective abilities for ethylcyclohexane were provided an increased corrosion performance with increasing r.f. power. The AFM and SEM data showed that the polymer films with smooth surface and sharp interface could be grown under different r.f. powers. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.