Effect of RF power on the optical and morphological properties of RF plasma polymerised linalyl acetate thin films

Thin films derived from linalyl acetate were fabricated using the Radio Frequency (RF) plasma polymerisation technique between RF power levels of 10 and 75 W. The optical properties of the films were investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry and UV–vis spectroscopy between 200 and 1000 nm. An optical band gap of approximately 3 eV for all power levels was determined from Tauc plots. The surface morphology and hardness of the material were studied using AFM and nano-indentation respectively to determine the effect of RF power on the thin film properties. Smooth surfaces with an average roughness of approximately 0.2 nm with consistent morphology were obtained across all power levels, while hardness demonstrated a linearly increasing dependence on RF deposition power, with values ranging between 0.29 and 0.44 GPa. These studies indicate the ability to tailor film characteristics by varying the RF deposition power, and the potential for the films to be used within electronic devices as encapsulation layers, insulating layers, or as semiconducting layers with the introduction of charge carriers to the chemical structure of the material.