Deposition of fluoropolymer thin films by the ionization-assisted method

Fluorinated polymers have excellent properties in chemical stability, electrical insulation, low dielectric constant, optical transparency etc. We have prepared thin films of Teflon-AF (DuPont) by vacuum deposition and by ionization-assisted method, and examined their stability by degradation tests. The UV-ozone accelerated degradation test showed that these films have high stability agains weathering. No chemical degradation of the films were detected after thermal degradation and water vapor exposure tests. SEM observation showed that the ionization-assisted film retains higher physical stability than the vacuum deposited one. The Teflon AF coating is also effective in suppressing the degradation of underlying polymer material. These results indicate that the Teflon AF deposited films can be applicated as the passivation coating. (author)