No abstract

Measurements using the derived calculation scheme to determine the electron temperature from optical emission spectroscopy are presented. The electron temperature was measured using both optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probes with our computer based system. The computer allowed us to make both measurements and do the calculations on line in a reasonable amount of time. Because of the accuracy of our emission spectrometer, we made several Langmuir probe measurements for each emission spectrum taken. We first determined that the optically measured electron temperature and Langmuir probe measured electron temperature were following the same trend with variations in the process variables. In addition to varying process variables, we also determined the effect of adding an additional gas to the discharge. The results presented verify that our optically determined electron temperature is valid in this case.

The virtues of chemical inertness and low surface energy which make polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) a valuable engineering polymer also account for the difticulty in achieving structural adhesive bonds. While plasma surface treatment has proven to be the most effective means of maximizing strength and permanence of adhesive bonds with the most inert of engineering polymers, a simple plasma treatment has proven elusive for PTFE. The following studies evaluate two very different plasma processes, activation and deposition, as a means to achieve reliable and high-strength structural adhesive bonds. Sodium naphthaleneetched PTFE is used as a control. Presented are ESCA data which support a theory that improvement is limited by a weakened boundary layer of the h F E .

The excitation frequency is known to have an effect on the rate of deposition of polymer thin films produced by a glow discharge process. This has been attributed to changes in the electron energy distribution function (EEDF). Any appreciable change in the EEDF would be expected to be revealed by plasma emission spectroscopy. Our findings are herein reported for deposition plasmas containing C3 H6 and Ar at dc, 40-kHz, and 27.12-MHz excitation frequencies; included are data on film deposition rate and optical clarity which also vary with excitation frequency.

A plasma deposited SiOC very low k (VLK) interlayer dielectric (ILD) film has been developed which can be tuned to 2.5 = k = 3.0, demonstrates very good thermal stability, excellent adhesion properties, acceptable hardness, and an indication that it may be extendible to k < 2.5. This paper will disclose properties of this SiOC film which are important to a VLK ILD application.