Mass Spectrometric Characterization of Pulsed Inductively Coupled Plasmas for Deposition of Thin Polyethylene Glycol-like Polymer Films

Abstract

In this work we characterize pulsed inductively coupled of plasmas of two organic precursor molecules, isopropyl alcohol and 1, 4 dioxane using Langmuir probes and in-situ mass spectrometry. We identify the key ionized species diffusing to the substrate and offer an explanation as to how they are generated. We also analyze the deposited films using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and suggest a correlation between the measured plasma ion mass distributions and chemical bonding character of the deposit. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop predictable models for PECVD processes for thin polymer films with functionalized surfaces.