Methods and apparatus for vacuum thin film deposition

A method of forming a polymer coating on a surface of a substrate in a vacuum chamber evacuated to a pressure of less than about 10−2 Torr, wherein the method comprises:

• (a) providing in the vacuum chamber an evaporation chamber, wherein the evaporation chamber comprises a reservoir of a liquid monomer, wherein the monomer has two or more olefinic groups per molecule and a vapor pressure in the range of 10−6 to 10−1 Torr at standard temperature and pressure, and wherein the reservoir of liquid monomer is heated at a temperature below that at which thermal polymerization of liquid monomer is initiated, thereby forming a vapor of the monomer;
• (b) allowing the vapor formed by heating the reservoir of liquid monomer to flow to the surface of the substrate, the surface at a temperature below the temperature of the liquid monomer reservoir or vapor;
• (c) condensing the vapor on the surface of the substrate to deposit a monomer layer on the surface of the substrate;
• and
• (d) polymerizing the monomer layer formed in step (c) to form the polymer coating on the surface of the substrate.