(142ba) Morphology and Water Barrier Properties of Silane Films: the Effect of Process Parameters

We report the morphology of silane films, and the response of these films to water vapor mainly by neutron reflectivity. The systems include bis[3-(triethoxysilyl) propyl]tetrasulfide (bis-sulfur) and bis-trimethoxysilylpropyl]amine (bis-amino) as well as their mixture. A complete study has been done on these systems deposited on silicon wafer substrate, with 1% concentration and 80°C curing temperature. Further work focuses on these systems deposited on aluminum substrates, with higher curing temperature as well as higher concentration (thicker film). Our goal is to clarify the relationship between silane processing parameters, silane film morphology and water-barrier properties while developing a database for optimizing the performance in anti-corrosion applications. Results from Al substrates are consistent with the results from silicon wafer substrates. Higher curing temperature leads to an increase of the crosslink density and degradation of bis-sulfur silane film, while the effect on bis-amino silane film is negligible.