On the Effect of Monomer Chemistry on Growth Mechanisms of Nonfouling PEG-like Plasma Polymers

Abstract

It has been shown that both ions and neutral species may contribute to plasma polymer growth. However, the relative contribution from these mechanisms remains unclear. We present data elucidating the importance of considering monomer structure with respect to which the growth mechanism dominates for nonfouling PEG-like plasma polymers. The deposition rate for saturated monomers is directly linked with ion flux to the substrate. For unsaturated monomers, the neutral flux also plays a role, particularly at low power. Increased fragmentation of the monomer at high power reduces the ability of unsaturated monomers to grow via neutral grafting. Chemical characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) confirm the role that plasma phase fragmentation plays in determining the deposition rate and surface chemistry of the deposited film. The simple experimental method used here may also be used to determine which mechanisms dominate plasma deposition for other monomers. This knowledge may enable significant improvement in future reactor design and process control