PLASMA OR CVD PRE-TREATMENT FOR LUBRICATED PHARMACEUTICAL PACKAGE, COATING PROCESS AND APPARATUS

1 . A syringe comprising:

a wall having a generally cylindrical interior surface defining a lumen and adapted to receive a plunger;

a primer coating or layer between 1 and 1000 nm thick of SiO x C y H z , in which x is from 0.5 to 2.4 as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), y is from 0.6 to 3 as measured by XPS, and z is from 2 to 9, on at least a portion of the interior surface, the primer coating or layer having an outside surface facing the interior surface of the barrel and an inside surface facing the lumen; and

a deposit of fluid lubricant on the inside surface of the primer coating or layer.

2 . The syringe of claim 1 , further comprising a plunger having an outer sliding surface configured to slide along the interior surface and seated in the barrel against the interior surface.

3 . (canceled)

4 . The syringe of claim 2 , in which the outer diameter of the plunger when unconstrained by the barrel is from 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm greater, preferably from 0.1 to 0.3 mm, greater, more preferably from 0.15 mm to 0.25 mm greater, still more preferably 0.2 mm greater than the average inner diameter of the interior surface.

5 . The syringe of claim 2 , in which the plunger outer sliding surface has a primer coating or layer.

6 . The syringe of claim 2 , in which the breakout force, F i of the plunger is between 0.5 and 15 N after a park time of 3 days; and the maintenance force F m , of the plunger is between 0.5 and 15 N after a park time of 3 days.

7 . (canceled)

8 . (canceled)

9 . The syringe of claim 1 , in which the syringe barrel adjacent to the interior surface comprises a polyolefin, a polyester, or a combination of a polyolefin and a polyester, and preferably comprises COC (cyclic olefin copolymer), COP (cyclic olefin polymer), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), polypropylene (PP), or a combination of two or more of these.

10 . The syringe of claim 1 , in which z is measured by one of Rutherford back scattering (RBS) or Hydrogen forward scattering (HFS).

11 . (canceled)

12 . The syringe of claim 1 , in which, in SiO x C y H z ,

x is between 0.5 and 1.5; and

y is between 0.9 and 2.

13 . The syringe of claim 1 , in which the primer coating or layer is between 10 and 1000 nm thick.

14 . The syringe of claim 1 , in which the primer coating or layer is deposited under conditions effective to form a coating from a precursor selected from a linear siloxane, a monocyclic siloxane, a polycyclic siloxane, a polysilsesquioxane, a linear silazane, a monocyclic silazane, a polycyclic silazane, or a combination of any two or more of these precursors.

15 . (canceled)

16 . The syringe of claim 1 , in which the fluid lubricant comprises polydimethylsiloxane in which the viscosity of the fluid lubricant is from 500 to 30,000 cSt.

17 . (canceled)

18 . (canceled)

19 . The syringe of claim 1 , further comprising a barrier coating or layer of SiO x , in which x is from 1.5 to 2.9 as measured by XPS, located between the primer coating or layer and the interior surface.

20 . The syringe of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesion coating or layer of the SiO x C y H z , located between the barrier coating or layer and the interior surface.

21 . The syringe of claim 1 , in which the deposit of lubricant and primer coating or layer is effective to provide a lower frictional resistance than the uncoated barrel interior surface.

22 . The syringe of claim 21 , in which the frictional resistance is reduced by at least 25% in comparison to the uncoated barrel interior surface.

23 . (canceled)

24 . (canceled)

25 . The syringe of claim 1 , in which the deposit of lubricant is effective to reduce the frictional resistance between a portion of the barrel interior surface contacted by the deposit of fluid lubricant and a relatively sliding part after the syringe is assembled.

26 . (canceled)

27 . (canceled)

28 . (canceled)

29 . The syringe of claim 1 , further comprising a fluid stored in the lumen in contact with the deposit of fluid lubricant in which the fluid comprises a food, a nutritional supplement, a water solution or dispersion, a parenteral drug, an inhalation anesthetic, or a diagnostic test material.

30 - 38 . (canceled)

39 . A trilayer syringe comprising:

a wall having a generally cylindrical interior surface defining a lumen and adapted to receive a plunger;

a barrier coating or layer of SiOx, in which x is from 1.5 to 2.9 as measured by XPS;

an adhesion coating or layer of SiO x C y H z , in which x is from 0.5 to 2.4 as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), y is from 0.6 to 3 as measured by XPS, and z is from 2 to 9, located between the barrier coating or layer and the interior surface,

a primer coating or layer between 1 and 1000 nm thick of SiO x C y H z , in which x is from 0.5 to 2.4 as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), y is from 0.6 to 3 as measured by XPS, and z is from 2 to 9, on at least a portion of the interior surface, the primer coating or layer having an outside surface facing the interior surface of the barrel and inside surface facing the lumen;

in which the barrier coating is located between the primer coating or layer and the interior surface; and

a deposit of fluid lubricant on the inside surface of the primer coating or layer.

40 . The syringe of claim 39 , further comprising a plunger having an outer sliding surface configured to slide along the interior surface.

41 . The syringe of claim 39 , in which the outer diameter of the plunger when unconstrained by the barrel is from 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm greater than the average inner diameter of the interior surface.

42 . The syringe of claim 39 , in which the fluid lubricant comprises polydimethylsiloxane, the viscosity of the fluid lubricant is from 500 to 30,000 cSt, and the fluid comprises a food, a nutritional supplement, a water solution or dispersion, a parenteral drug, an inhalation anesthetic, or a diagnostic test material.