Preparation of ZnO Thin Films Deposited by Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition for Application to Ultraviolet-cut Coating

ZnO thin films coated on plastic materials were investigated for their use in the protection against solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Using diethylzinc (DEZ) as the organic source material, we attempted to deposit ZnO thin films on polycarbonate (PC) resin at room temperature by the cathode deposition technique of the capacitive-coupled radio frequency chemical vapor deposition (RFCVD) method. It was found that the ZnO films obtained were amorphous, and contained small quantities of CO and hydrocarbons, which decreased in the substrate temperature range above 75°C. In a xenon arc weatherability test, the ZnO-coated PC plates exhibited outstanding characteristics of UV protection, as they remained smooth and uncolored even after 1000 h of UV irradiation.