Interface layer to improve polystyrene attachment on a quartz crystal resonator
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Llanes, D. S. (Doris Susana) | 2014-05-07
Technologies for thin film deposition have been used to improve the functionalization of quartz crystal resonators
(QCR); such technologies, for example, are spin coating and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film preparation. These experiments
are required because the film uniformity and homogeneity over the quartz crystal resonator are fundamental for
its applications as chemical and biological sensors.
Film deposition of polystyrene (PS) particles, as well as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), was performed in solvents
such as cyclohexanone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethylformamide and chloroform at different concentrations using
the spin coating procedure on wafer targets. The film quality was determined by optical microscopy, ellipsometry, and
profilometry.
Additionally, films on wafers or QCR with gold surface have been prepared by spreading the mentioned substances
on an aqueous subphase and transferring it by dipping from the subphase surface onto the target.
For LB film preparation arachidic acid and PS particles have been used. Prepared mono- or multilayered films of
these substances on wafer or gold quartzes have been controlled additionally by IR-spectrometry.
The resonant behavior of QCR before and after surface coating has been measured with a network analyzer. In
combination with a graphical user interface the data could be easily recorded and visualized.
LEER