ABSTRACT
When a hydrocarbon gas or vapor at low pressure is exposed to a glow discharge plasma a deposit accumulates on any surfaces in contact with the plasma. The chemical composition and structure of the deposited material depend upon such factors as the hydrocarbon used, the presence of other gases, the flow rates, the applied plasma power and so on. Depending on the deposition parameters, oils, powders, or films may be produced. Pinhole-free thin films that are adherent to diverse substrates are of more widespread practical interest and may be produced with compositions ranging from the ‘organic’ to the ‘inorganic'. The production processes in these cases are known as plasma polymerization (PP) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), respectively, though the latter term is often used to refer to both processes.
