PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BERYLLIUM DOPED ORGANIC PLASMA POLYMER-COATINGS

We report the formation of beryllium doped plasma polymerized coatings derived from a helical resonator deposition apparatus, using diethylb eryllium as the organometallic source. These coatings had an appearanc e not unlike plain plasma polymer and were relatively stable to ambien t exposure. The coatings were characterized by inductively coupled pla sma mass spectrometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Coat ing rates approaching 0.7 mu m h(-1) were obtained with a beryllium-to -carbon ratio of 1:1.3. There is also a significant oxygen presence in the coating as well which is attributed to oxidation upon exposure of the coating to air. The XPS data show only one peak for beryllium wit h the preponderance of the XPS data suggesting that the beryllium exis ts as BeO. Diethylberyllium was found to be inadequate as a source for beryllium doped plasma polymer, due to thermal decomposition and low vapor recovery rates. (C) 1996 American Vacuum Society.