Ultrathin perfluoropolyether coatings for silicon wafers: a XPS study

Oxidized silicon wafers were functionalized in mild conditions using alkoxysilanes containing perfluoropolyether chains: the reaction was monitored by FTIR and very thin fluorinated films were formed. After the treatment, the surface tension of the wafers decreased dramatically (from 43 mN/m for the neat wafer to 21-13 mN/m depending on the conditions of the silanization process), high repellency toward polar and apolar media was achieved. The composition of the fluorinated coatings was investigated in details by XPS spectroscopy. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.