Effect of HF and Plasma Treated Glass Surface on Vapor Phase-Polymerized Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Thin Film : Part II

In this study, in order to investigate how consecutive treatments of glass surface with HF acid and water vapor/Ar plasma affect the quality of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane self-assembled monolayer (APS-SAM), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin films were vapor phase-polymerized immediately after spin coating of FeCl3 and poly-urethane diol-mixed oxidant solution on the monolayer surfaces prepared at various treatment conditions. For the film characterization, various poweful tools were used, e.g., FE-SEM, an optical microscope, four point probe, and a contact angle analyzer. The characterization revealed that a well prepared APS-SAM on a glass surface treated with water vapor/Ar plasma is very useful for uniform coating of FeCl3 and DUDO mixed oxidant solution, regardless of HF treatment. On the other hand, a bare glass surface without APS-SAM but treated with HF and water vapor/Ar plasma generally led to a very poor oxidant film. As a result, PEDOT films vapor phase-polymerized on APS-SAM surfaces are far superior to those on bare glass surfaces in the quality and electrical characteristics aspects.