Polythiophene nanostructure film deposited using a bump electrode in atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization for increased film uniformity

Abstract

We propose a plasma reactor with a multiple bump-shaped wire electrode to increase the plasma volume for atmospheric pressure (AP) plasma polymerization. Triangular bumps are added to the tungsten wire in a plasma reactor in the form of a vessel capable of generating plasma. Since the discharge is initiated and maintained at the lower part of the triangular bump electrode, the effective volume of the glow plasma can be increased as the number of bumps increases. Even though a discharge imbalance due to differences in bump positions can adversely affect the uniformity of polymerized films, rotating the substrate can greatly improve film uniformity. With the developed AP plasma reactor, polythiophene (PTh) nanostructure films are synthesized and both the film characteristics and uniformity of the PTh nanostructures are investigated in detail. Additionally, conductive PTh films are produced through an iodine doping process, and the chemical properties and electrical stability of the doped PTh films are thoroughly examined.