ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPIC OBSERVATION AT INITIAL GROWTH STAGE OF VACUUM-DEPOSITED THIN-FILM OF POLYVINYLIDENEFLUORIDE

Vinylidenefluoride and tetrafluoroethylene copolymer powder was evapor ated to grow a thin him of polyvinylidenefluoride on a Si wafer with t he native oxide layer held at 80 degrees C in a vacuum of 10(-5) Torr. Its initial growth process was studied with an atomic force microscop e. Some features in the initial film growth stage at 0.2 to 6 nm in it s thickness d are: (I) ''plateau'' and ''mountain'' islands with the n umber density in the order of 10(7) cm(-2) grow with the coverage line arly increasing with d; (2) secondary plateau islands grow at d > 2 nm ; (3) the height was 6, 25, and 1.5 nm for plateau, mountain, and seco ndary plateau islands, respectively, which was almost independent of d . These are briefly discussed from the viewpoint of the crystallizatio n of bulk polymer and from the thin film growth process. (C) 1997 Amer ican Vacuum Society.