Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – With treating means
Patent
1980-03-24
1982-12-28
Smith, John D.
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
With treating means
427 41, 118719, 204170, C08F 252
Patent
active
043655874
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus which polymerizes a organic compound monomer by utilizing a plasma to produce a thin film of an organic polymer on a substrate.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Studies are being made to form a thin film of an organic polymer on a substrate prepared from, for example, glass and utilize the substrate thus treated as a photosenser, heat senser or optical filter.
Hitherto, the formation of a thin film of an organic compound based on plasma polymerization has been carried out as follows. First, a substrate is placed in a sealed vessel, and then a vapor of an organic compound monomer is introduced into the sealed vessel. Electric energy is supplied to the interior of the sealed vessel through an electrode or coil set inside or outside of the sealed vessel. A vapor of an organic compound monomer is electrically discharged to convert it into a plasma. Electric energy applied at this time has a high frequency of scores of MHz, for example, 13.56 MHz, or a commercial frequency or a direct current. A organic polymer formed in the plasma of the organic compound monomer thus produced is deposited on the substrate. Alternatively, an organic compound monomer adsorbed to the surface of the substrate is polymerized by the impingement of ions or electrons included in the plasma of the organic compound monomer. Thus, a thin organic film is settled on the substrate. The process is also known which introduces an organic compound monomer and any other gas jointly into the sealed vessel in order to control a pressure condition. With all the conventional thin organic film-producing methods including said process of jointly supplying an organic compound monomer and any other gas, a substrate is disposed in a region in which a plasma is produced by electric discharge and consequently is directly exposed to a plasma produced in said region.
Any of the above-mentioned conventional thin organic film-producing methods and apparatuses have the following drawbacks. First, a substrate on which a thin organic film is to be deposited is placed in a plasma-producing region, that is, the region in which an organic compound monomer is converted into a plasma by electric discharge. Therefore, a thin film of an organic polymer deposited on the substrate tends to be decomposed or degraded under the impingement of ions and electrons included in the plasma. As a result, a decline takes place in the speed at which a thin film of an organic polymer might be completely formed, were it not for such drawbacks. Secondly, where an electric power source having a high frequency of less than scores of MHz, for example, 13.56 MHz, is applied, difficulties arise in matching a high frequency produced by a high frequency oscillator with the high frequency of electric energy required for the production of a plasma. Further, a high frequency energy undergoes a large radiation loss in that region of a discharge tube where discharge takes place. Therefore, a high frequency energy fails to be efficiently supplied to the plasma of an organic compound monomer, resulting in a decline in the generation of radicals in an organic compound monomer as compared with an amount of electric power originally supplied to the plasma. The above-mentioned drawbacks also occur in the application of electric energy having a commercial frequency or direct current power. Where a large electric power is to be supplied to the plasma of an organic compound monomer, it is necessary to provide a high frequency oscillator and power source having a correspondingly large capacity. As things stand at present, however, such high frequency oscillator itself can not have a sufficiently high oscillation efficiency. Thirdly, plasma parameters such as the density and temperature of electrons are difficult to control in the formation of a thin organic film by the conventional process of high frequency discharge energy. Further with the prior art apparatus, a region of stable discharge is narrow with respect to the pressure of the vapor of pa
REFERENCES:
patent: 3518108 (1970-06-01), Heiss, Jr. et al.
patent: 4138306 (1979-02-01), Niwa
Brodsky et al., "Method of Preparing Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon", I.B.M. Tech. Disclosure Bull., vol. 22, #8A, Jan., 1980.
Streitwieser, Jr. et al., "Organic Compds. in Microwave Discharge, II, Intral Studies with Toluene and Related Hydrocarbons", Journal of The American Chem. Soc., vol. 85, No. 5, Mar. 5, 1963.
Akai Yoshimi
Hirose Masahiko
Plantz Bernard F.
Smith John D.
Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
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