Scratch resistant optical coatings on polymers by magnetron-PECVD

The Magnetron-PECVD Technology (magPECVD) provides silicon-organic thin films for multifunctional coatings, for instance in the fields of optical, electrically insulating or diffusion barrier applications. Silicon-organic precursors as e.g. hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) are introduced into a reactive pulse magnetron sputtering system. This paper describes the deposition process for scratch resistant coatings on polymer optical components. Thin films of varied chemical composition have been deposited onto polymer substrates (polycarbonate, CR39). Optical, chemical and mechanical properties of the thin films were characterized in order to optimize their durability under real application conditions.