Synthesis of silica films on a polymeric material by plasma-enhanced CVD using tetramethoxysilane

Silica films have been deposited on a polymeric material, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), by low-temperature plasma-enhanced CVD using a mixture of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and oxygen as the source. In the early stages of deposition, silica domes were formed on the treated PET surface. In the TMOS/oxygen plasma, these silica domes then grew larger and fused together. On the contrary, when no active oxygen species were present in the vapor phase, the silica domes simply agglomerated but were hardly fused. The silica films were found to grow on the treated PET substrate in an island-like and discontinuous manner.