ESCA applied to polymers. XIX. Investigation of polymer films produced by inductively coupled RF plasmas excited in vinylidene fluoride

Films of known thickness have been prepared in situ by radio frequency (RF) glow discharge techniques with the use of vinylidene fluoride as the monomer. A description of the structure as revealed by ESCA is presented and comparison drawn with related work. Electron mean free paths have been measured as a function of kinetic energy corresponding to photoemission from the C1s (967 eV), F1s (563 eV), and F2s (1220 eV) levels of the plasma‐polymerized material. The results confirm that for a given class of materials such as polymers, escape depths are not strongly dependent on fine details of structure and bonding and moreover that mean free paths are comparable with those measured for typical metals and semiconductors.