Plasma ESCA spectrum

Despite the fact that germanium is etched at the faster rate for a given set of plasma conditions, it does not become incorporated into the polymer matrix under the conditions of these experiments. This provides a convenient method to prepare films containing no cathode material but are essentially plasma polymerized polytetra-fluoroethylene. The small oxygen signal observed in the ESCA spectrum of this... 

Figure 15. Wide-scan ESCA spectrum (MgKatj) of plasma polymer produced...

It is often not possible to use ESCA to analyze for this type of contamination because, in the most insidious case, it is coming out of the polymer as an oligomer or as a material that is chemically quite similar to the polymer. Therefore, it will be completely distributed through the polymer and it will have a very similar ESCA spectrum to the polymer. But, it will not be a polymer, it will be an oily or v/axy material that can interfere with the use of plasma treatment if it is not completely removed from the surface. 

If a polymer is formed throu plasma-induced polymerization from tetrafluoroethylene, the ESCA Cls spectrum should be identical to that of Teflon. Therefore, the fact that the ESCA Cls peaks are significantly different from those in the spectrum of Teflon indicates that a major portion of the glow discharge polymerization is not plasma-induced polymerization. How the balance between plasma state polymerization and plasma-induced polymerization is influenced by the conditions of glow discharge and the location of polymer deposition within a reactor can be seen by comparing the ESCA Cls spectra shown in Figures 2-4. 

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