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IR Imaging of PDMS Degradation Thin Films on Metal Surfaces

Alam, Todd M.

The degradation of poly[dimethyl siloxane] (PDMS) fluids at metal surfaces can produce insulative PDMS films (also known as SiCO films) that lead to high contact resistance events impacting the performance of electrical contacts in PDMS fluid-filled environmental sensing devices(ESDs). To determine the extent of SiCO film formation on metal contact surfaces due to different exposure and aging conditions it is necessary to develop new characterization methods that allow rapid and non-destructive measurement of the location, thickness and quality of the SiCO degradation films.