Role of oxidizing agent: thin film formation by photo-oxidizing silicone oil for vacuum UV rays transmittance and high hardness

An oxidizing agent is needed for silicone oil to be photo-oxidized with Xe2 excimer-lamp. However, the lamp light did not reach the silicone oil on the surface of the substrate satisfactorily, and the photo-oxidation reaction of the silicone oil layer was hard to take place properly. In order to find the appropriate conditions for supplying the proper amount of an oxidizing agent to silicone oil, the vacuum ultraviolet light that passed the silicone oil layer was made fluoresce in the phosphor to monitor the progress of the photo-oxidation reaction. As the vitrification by photo-oxidation reaction of the silicone oil layer improved, the fluorescence intensity of the phosphor increased. While monitoring the change of the fluorescence intensity, the supply of the oxidizing agent and the irradiation time of the vacuum ultraviolet light were controlled; as a result, the new method to efficiently form a transparent, photo-oxidized thin film has been established.