Abstract
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.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
F. Garbassi, M. Morra, and E. Occhiello Polymer Surfaces: From Physics to Technology, John Wiley Chichester (1994).
H. J. Griesser, et al., in Plasma Deposition and Treatment of Polymers, W. W. Lee, et al., eds., Materials Research Society. Warrendale, Pennsylvania (1999).
H. G. Tompkins, A User's Guide to Ellipsometry. Academic Press, San Diego (1993).
A. F. Collings and F. Caruso, Rep. Prog. Phys., 60, 1397 (1997).
J. E. Fulghum, Surface and Interface Anal., 20, 161 (1993).
H. Yasuda, Plasma Polymer. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida (1985).
L. Dai, H. J. Griesser, and A. W. H. Mau, J. Phys. Chem., 101, 9548 (1997).
T. H. Barrows, Clin. Mater., 1, 233 (1986).
X. Xie, T. R. Gengenbach, and H. J. Griesser, J. of Adhesion Sci. and Technol., 6, 1411 (1992).
H. J. Griesser, Vacuum, 39, 485 (1989).
H. V. Boenig, Fundamentals of Plasma Chemistry and Technology, Technomic Publishing, Lancaster (1988).
L. Dai, H. J. Griesser, X. Hong, A. W. H. Mau, T. H. Spurling, Y. Yang, and J. W. White, Macromolecules, 29, 282 (1996).
W. Fritzsche, E. Ermantraut, and J. M. Kohler, Scanning, 20, 106 (1998).
H. Shi, W.-B. Tsai, M. D. Garrison, S. Ferrari, and B. D. Ratner, Nature, 398, 593 (1999).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hartley, P.G., Thissen, H., Vaithianathan, T. et al. A Surface Masking Technique for the Determination of Plasma Polymer Film Thickness by AFM. Plasmas and Polymers 5, 47–60 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009508426115
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009508426115