F.J. Aparicio, A. Borrás, I. Blaszczyk-Lezak, P. Gröning, A. Alvarez-Herrero, M. Fernández-Rodríguez, A.R. González-Elipe, A. Barranco
Plasma Processes and Polymers, 6 (2009) 17-26
doi: 10.1002/ppap.200800092

Mechanically stable and insoluble fluorescent thin films have been deposited by sublimating Rhodamine 6G laser dye in the downstream region of a low-power microwave ECR plasma using an experimental set-up designed to control the interaction of the dye molecule with the glow discharge. The use of reactive organosilane plasmas allows to control the dye distribution inside the matrix, leading to solid nanocomposite thin films containing non-aggregated dye molecules. The suppression of aggregates is a key issue to avoid fluorescence quenching. The obtained nanocomposite films are interesting because of their strong absorption and high fluorescence emission. In addition, they can be patterned using in situ plasma treatments in order to produce optically functional devices.