Complementary spectroscopic and electrochemical analysis of the sealing of micropores in hexamethyldisilazane plasma polymer films by Al2O3 atomic layer deposition

In the present study, the effects of oxygen plasma treatment and subsequent 2 nm thin Al 2 O 3 film deposition by atomic layer deposition on about 30 nm thick hexamethyldisilazane polymer layers are investigated by using a combination of spectroscopic and electrochemical analysis. The investigations focus on the microporosity of the corresponding films and their structural changes. Upon oxygen plasma treatment, the surface near region of the films is converted into SiO x , and the microporosity is increased. Atomic layer deposition of Al 2 O 3 on the plasma oxidized films leads to the decrease of pore sizes and an effective sealing. A correlation between the film microporosity and the change of hydroxyl groups of the films with the adsorption of water was established by ellipsometric porosimetry and in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Moreover, electrochemical analysis provided complementary information on the electrolyte up‐take in the differently conditioned thin films.