Plasma deposition and properties of composite metal/polymer and metal/hard carbon films
- The growing interest in novel materials has promoted the investigation of two-component composite materials formed by small metal inclusions incorporated in an organic insulating medium. In this paper the recent knowledge of composite thin films composed of metal grains dispersed in the matrix of a plasma deposited polymer or a hard carbon is reviewed. The most important deposition techniques are presented and the relation between the deposition processes, the film microstructure and resulting film properties (especially optical and electrical) are discussed. The film characteristics are illustrated by the latest results from our laboratory.