Uniform deposition of SiC thin films on plastics surfaces

Thermoplastics are widely used for automobile parts. An SiC him overcoating on thermoplastics have been studied by using an rf plasma CVD with an organic silicon, hexamethyldisilane (HMDS), for increasing resistance of these plastics against abrasion and ultra violet (UV) light. To obtain thickness uniformity of the films even on the surfaces of three-dimensional molding plastics parts, a special cathode deposition method in the plasma CVD is examined. Plastic substrates are placed in close contact with the cathode electrode shaped as the same curvature as the substrates. It was shown that this method provides the uniform film coatings on such substrates. The SiC films also showed the outstanding characteristics of protecting plastics surface against UV light. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.