Deposition kinetics on particles in a dusty plasma reactor

We report on the use of dusty plasma chemical vapor deposition for the coating of micron and submicron sized particles. Particles are introduced into a capacitively coupled low-pressure plasma where they become charged and remain electrostatically confined over extended periods of time. Introduction of a hydrocarbon in the plasma results in the formation of a cross-linked solid (plasma polymer) which deposits on the particle surface in the form of a film. The thickness of the coating varies from 3 nm to more than several hundred nanometers and is found to be a linear function of time. The size distribution and the uniformity of deposition are studied as a function of the deposition time and particle size and the results are interpreted qualitatively via a surface deposition model.