Internal Stresses in Plasma Deposited Polymer Film Coatings

Abstract

A technique for measuring the internal stresses in polymer films deposited on a glass substrate in gas discharge plasma is developed. Using this technique, the dependence of internal stress in thin films of polymethylmethacrylate and polystyrene on the deposition time and the current density of the barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure is studied. It is found that, when forming thin polymer coatings from monomers with high polymerization efficiency, the average value of internal stresses is higher than that for coatings obtained from monomers having low polymerization efficiency in barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure. This can be explained by an increase in the specific number of cross-links in the first type of films under the action of ultraviolet radiation from the plasma. The quasi-optimal deposition time of the polymer film coating from styrene is found in which the value of the internal stress is minimal at a film thickness acceptable for a number of practical applications.