Generation of CF.sub.4 from Teflon for reactive atmosphere processing and growth of metal fluorides

A controllable process for generating CF.sub.4 from commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene comprising the steps of:

• (a) charging a depolymerization reactor with precisely known quantities of tetrafluoroethylene;
• (b) selecting a reactor temperature, from a plot of tetrafluoroethylene decay constants versus temperature, which provides for the generation of C.sub.2 F.sub.4 at a desired rate;
• (c) creating an atmospheric purge by causing an inert carrier gas to flow through said reactor;
• (d) raising the temperature of said reactor to said selected temperature thereby causing a C.sub.2 F.sub.4 -purge gas mixture to be formed within said reactor;
• (e) directing said C.sub.2 F.sub.4 -purge gas mixture from said reactor into a pyrolysis chamber, previously heated to a temperature high enough to cause the C.sub.2 F.sub.4 component of said mixture to decompose into known amounts of CF.sub.4 and elemental carbon, at a flow rate sufficient to insure a gas mixture dwell time within said chamber of from 5 to 15 minutes;
• and
• (f) removing said CF.sub.4 from said chamber with said carrier gas while allowing said elemental carbon to be trapped along the relatively cool walls of said chamber.