ULTRA HIGH RATE, WIDE AREA, PLASMA POLYMERIZED FILMS FROM HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT/LOW VAPOR PRESSURE LIQUID OR LIQUID/SOLID SUSPENSION MONOMER PRECURSORS

摘要

A new process has been developed for the high rate vacuum deposition of solid films from high molecular weight/low vapor pressure liquid, or even liquid/solid suspension, monomer precursors. The gas resulting from the flash evaporation of a liquid monomer mixture, or from a suspension of insoluble solid particles in liquid monomer, is used as the support medium for a glow discharge in a Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition-like (PECVD) process. Due to the high molecular weight/low vapor pressure nature of the precursors, the plasma of the flash evaporated gas cryo-condenses at extremely high rate on substrates at ambient, and higher, temperatures. Upon condensation the liquified plasma immediately begins to polymerise to form a solid film due to the high concentration of radicals and ions contained in the liquid film. The process has been successfully implemented in a vacuum roll coating system in a roll-to-roll deposition process. Polymer films, Molecularly Doped Polymer (MDP) composite films of polymer containing light emitting organic molecules, and MDP composite films of polymer containing organic dye molecules have been deposited at thicknesses ranging from 0.1 microns to 24 microns at webs speeds as high as 96 linear meters per minute. This new deposition process will be discussed along with some properties of the films fabricated with this new process.