In this work an apparatus was designed to perform oxidative chemical vapour deposition (oCVD) of polymeric films. The minimization of reactant waste was a major design consideration. This resulted in several key features not common in literature including: a static deposition phase, quick-loading precursor holders, a double wall vacuum, and a hot wall deposition chamber. The base pressure of the system was below 20mTorr and its upper temperature limit was 200°C.

Employing the system, poly(3,4-hexyldioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was synthesized via vapour phase polymerization (VPP). These samples, along with an in-situ polymerized (ISP) PEDOT control group, were characterized using SEM, AFM, four-point probe, FTIR, and UV-vis. Results showed that the VPP films were thicker, less rough, and more conductive than their ISP counterparts with values of 380 nm, 2 nm, and 1130 S/cm respectively. Spectroscopic tests indicated high levels of conjugation and minimal polymer damage.