ABSTRACT
Silicon (Si) is one of the widely used materials in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microsystems. However, bare Si, without proper surface modification, exhibits high friction, adhesion and wear [1]. Several types of ultra-thin films have been proposed recently for improving the tribological properties of Si and MEMS made from Si [2-6]. One important category of these films are the polymer coatings, which have found their way in various tribological applications due
to their excellent self-lubricating properties, low production cost, ease of coating procedures, and corrosion resistance [7-9]. However, despite their self-lubrication property, these polymer coatings usually suffer from poor adhesion to the substrate, thus resulting in low wear life [10, 11]. Various pre-treatment processes, such as piranha treatment, have been used to enhance the adhesion property of the Si substrate and the polymer film. Piranha treatment, besides using harmful chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide and sulphuric acid, is a laborious process involving long reaction time (approximately 2 h [2]).
