Fluoropolymer films are frequently used in microfabrication and for producing hydrophobic and low-k dielectric layers in various applications. As the reliability of functional coatings is becoming a more pressing issue in industry, it is necessary to determine the physical stability and degradation properties of this important class of films. To this end, a study has been undertaken to ascertain the aging characteristics of fluoropolymer films under various environmental conditions that such a film may experience during its use. In particular, fluorocarbon films formed by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) using octafluorocyclobutane, or c-C₄F₈, as a precursor gas have been exposed to abrasive wear, elevated temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, as well as oxygen plasma and SF₆ plasma, the latter being commonly used in conjunction with these films in ion etching processes. The results show that sub-micron thick fluoropolymer films exhibit a significant amount of elastic recovery during nanoscratch tests, minimising the impact of wear. The films exhibit stability when exposed to 365 nm UV light in air, but not 254 nm light in air, which generated significant decreases in thickness. Exposure to temperatures up to 175 °C did not generate loss of material, whereas temperatures higher than 175 °C did. Etching rates upon exposure to oxygen and SF₆ plasmas were also measured.

含氟聚合物薄膜经常用于微加工中，并在各种应用中用于生产疏水性和低k介电层。随着功能性涂料的可靠性成为工业上越来越紧迫的问题，有必要确定这类重要薄膜的物理稳定性和降解性能。为此，已经进行了研究以确定含氟聚合物膜在其使用过程中可能经历的各种环境条件下的老化特性。特别是使用八氟环丁烷或cC ₄ F ₈通过等离子体增强化学气相沉积（PECVD）形成的碳氟化合物薄膜由于前体气体已暴露于磨料磨损，高温，紫外线辐射以及氧等离子体和SF ₆等离子体中，后者在离子蚀刻工艺中通常与这些膜结合使用。结果表明，亚微米级含氟聚合物薄膜在纳米划痕试验中表现出显着的弹性恢复能力，从而将磨损的影响降至最低。当暴露于空气中的365 nm紫外光而不是空气中的254 nm紫外光下时，这些膜表现出稳定性，这会导致厚度显着减小。暴露在高达175°C的温度下不会产生材料损失，而高于175°C的温度却会造成材料损失。还测量了暴露于氧气和SF ₆等离子体时的蚀刻速率。