ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the oxidative Chemical Vapor Deposition (oCVD) method for the simultaneous synthesis and growth of electrically conducting polymer thin films, with emphasis on progress. In Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), vapor phase monomers are converted to solid polymeric thin films in a single step. Solution-based thin film formation methods, such as dip-coating or spin-coating, require soluble polymers. The CVD methods are also compatible with soluble polymers, but are uniquely poised for growing layers of insoluble macromolecules. An earlier review of oCVD, also describes plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) and vapor phase polymerization. Monomer fragmentation which results from the PECVD approach has led to films of rather modest conductivity. In analogy to CVD methods for inorganic thin films, varying the conditions of the oCVD process permits the systematic tuning of film characteristics including electrical conductivity, optical transparency, workfunction, and crystallite orientation. The absence of deleterious dewetting effects derives from the absence of surface tension in the all-dry oCVD process.
