Aerosol Assisted Plasma Processes: Role of the Liquid Precursor on Thin Film Deposition in a Low-Pressure RF Capacitive Plasma

Abstract

Aerosol assisted plasma deposition is an innovative method to prepare thin films from liquid solutions independently on their composition and their physico-chemical properties. This paper aims to discuss how the characteristics of a liquid precursor impacts the thin film deposition process using four different alkanes classically used as solvents, from n-pentane to n-octane. While the liquid injection rate does not significantly vary, the droplet size and the vapor phase are highly affected by the liquid. However, as the film composition does not significantly vary, it is shown that balance of matter is more efficient with n-octane than with the other smaller molecules. Hence, the optimization of the processes needs to fully characterize the process from aerosols to final coatings.