Initiated chemical vapor deposition of polymeric thin films : mechanism and applications

Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) is a novel technique for depositing polymeric thin films. It is able to deposit thin films of application-specific polymers in one step without using any solvents. Its uniqueness of in situ surface polymer synthesis distinguishes iCVD from conventional processes such as spin-on deposition and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. It allows engineering polymers to be made with specific microscale properties translating to well-defined macroscale behaviors. In this thesis work, two application-specific polymers based on poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate) (PCHMA) were synthesized using iCVD. PHEMA thin films with specific degrees of cross-linking leading to well-defined structural, thermal, wetting, and swelling properties were made in a single vacuum step by simply adjusting chamber conditions. Cross-linked PCHMA thin films were synthesized for use as sacrificial layers for microfabrication. Such films of engineering polymers cannot be made using conventional methods. A study of the polymerization mechanism was included to serve as a groundwork for increased understanding of iCVD as a thin- film deposition method.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Chemical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Chan, Kelvin, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Karen K. Gleason.

• Chemical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33702

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/33702