To gain insight into the deposition and stability of oxygen-containing plasma polymer films, the properties of
amorphous oxygenated hydrocarbon (a-C:H:O) plasma polymer coatings deposited from acetone vapors
under various experimental conditions are investigated. Apart from the discharge power, the influence of the
reactive carbon dioxide (CO2) gas on the structure of the resulting films is studied. It is found by characterization
using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy that the experimental
conditions particularly influence the amount of oxygen in the deposited a-C:H:O plasma
polymer films. The O/C elemental ratio increases with increasing amount of CO2 in the working gas mixture
(up to 0.2 for 24 sccm of CO2 at 30 W) and decreases with increasing RF discharge power (down to 0.17 for
50 W). Furthermore, the nature of bonds between the oxygen and carbon atoms has been examined. Only low
amounts of double and triple bonded carbon are observed. This has a particular influence on the aging of the plasma
polymer filmswhich is studied both in ambient air and in distilledwater for up to 4 months. Overall, stable a-
C:H:O plasma polymer films are deposited comprising low amounts (up to about 5%) of ester/carboxyl groups.