Controlling the uniformity of PECVD deposition

1. A method of plasma modifying a vessel having a lumen defined at least in part by a surface to be treated, the method comprising:

providing plasma in or near the surface by providing an outer electrode outside the vessel and an inner electrode at least partially inside the lumen of the vessel and energizing the electrodes using radio frequency energy under conditions effective for plasma modification of the surface of the vessel; and

at least part of the time while providing plasma, providing a magnetic field in or near the plasma, the magnetic field having a position, orientation, and field strength effective to improve the uniformity, density, or both of plasma modification of the surface of the vessel;

in which the plasma modification of the surface comprises plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and the plasma does not include a substantial amount of hollow cathode plasma.

2. The method of claim 1 , in which the surface is a generally cylindrical interior surface defining at least a portion of a lumen.

3. The method of claim 1 , in which the magnetic field is provided by providing at least one magnetic field generator near the surface, each magnetic field generator having a north pole and a south pole defining a polar axis, in which at least part of the time while providing the magnetic field, at least one magnetic field generator has its polar axis generally parallel to the axis of the surface.

4. The method of claim 3 , in which at least part of the time while providing the magnetic field, at least two magnetic field generators are circumferentially distributed around the surface.

5. The method of claim 3 , in which at least two of the magnetic field generators are rotated about the surface, or the surface rotates with respect to the magnetic field generators, or both, during at least a portion of the plasma treatment.

6. The method of claim 3 , in which at least one magnetic field generator is a permanent magnet.

7. The method of claim 3 , further comprising at least part of the time while providing the magnetic field, translating at least one of the magnetic field generators axially along the surface, or translating the surface with respect to the magnetic field generator, or both, at a rate effective to improve the uniformity of the vessel heating along the axis of the surface.

8. The method of claim 1 , in which the vessel is a vial, a sample tube, a blood tube, a pipe, a catheter, a cuvette, a syringe, or a syringe body and needle assembly, the assembly having a needle end, a back end, and a body portion between the ends.

9. The method of claim 1 , in which at least part of the time while providing the magnetic field, at least a portion of the magnetic field in at least a portion of the lumen is oriented with its polar axis extending generally in radial planes with respect to the surface.

10. The method of claim 1 , in which the material supplied to the lumen during at least a portion of the plasma modification comprises:

a precursor;

optionally an oxidizing gas; and

optionally a diluent gas.

11. The method of claim 10 , in which the precursor comprises an organosiloxane, an organo silane, an organosilazane, a hydrocarbon, a fluorinated silane, a fluorocarbon, a parylene, or a combination of two or more of these.

12. The method of claim 10 , in which the precursor comprises an organosiloxane, or organosilazane or organosilane.

13. The method of claim 12 , in which the precursor comprises hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), hexamethyldisilazane, tetramethyldisilazane, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), tetrethylorthosilicate (TEOS), trimethylsilane, tetramethylsilane or a combination of these.

14. A method of plasma modifying a vessel having a surface to be treated, the surface to be treated defining at least a portion of a lumen, the method comprising:

providing plasma in or near the surface under conditions effective for plasma modification of the surface of the vessel; in which the conditions effective for plasma modification comprise supplying a material to the lumen, the material comprising:

a precursor comprising Parylene N or poly(paraxylylene); Parylene C or poly(2-chloroparaxylylene); Parylene D or poly(2,5-dichloropara-xylylene); Parylene HT or poly(tetrafluoropara-xylylene); or their dimers; or a combination of two or more of these;

optionally an oxidizing gas; and

optionally a diluent gas; and

at least part of the time while providing plasma, providing a magnetic field in or near the plasma, the magnetic field having a position, orientation, and field strength effective to improve the uniformity, density, or both of plasma modification of the surface of the vessel;

in which the plasma modification of the surface comprises plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and the plasma does not include a substantial amount of hollow cathode plasma.

15. A method of plasma modifying a vessel having a surface to be treated, the surface to be treated defining at least a portion of a lumen, the method comprising:

providing plasma in or near the surface under conditions effective for plasma modification of the surface of the vessel; in which the conditions effective for plasma modification comprise supplying a material to the lumen, the material comprising

a precursor comprising:

dimeric tetrafluoroparaxylylene,

difluorocarbene,

monomeric tetrafluoroethylene,

oligomeric tetrafluoroethylene having the formula F 2 C=CF(CF 2 ) x F in which x is from 1 to 100, optionally 2 to 50, optionally 2-20, optionally 2-10,

sodium chlorodifluoroacetate,

chlorodifluoromethane,

bromodifluoromethane,

hexafluoropropylene oxide,

1 H,1 H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate (FDA),

a bromofluoroalkane in which the alkane moiety has from 1 to 6 carbon atoms,

an iodofluoroalkane in which the alkane moiety has from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or

a combination of any two or more of these;

optionally an oxidizing gas; and

optionally a diluent gas; and

at least part of the time while providing plasma, providing a magnetic field in or near the plasma, the magnetic field having a position, orientation, and field strength effective to improve the uniformity, density, or both of plasma modification of the surface of the vessel;

in which the plasma modification of the surface comprises plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and the plasma does not include a substantial amount of hollow cathode plasma.

16. The method of claim 10 , in which the oxidizing gas comprises oxygen, nitrous oxide, water vapor, ozone, hydrogen peroxide or a combination of two or more of these.

17. The method of claim 10 , in which the diluent gas comprises helium, argon, krypton, xenon, neon, nitrogen or a combination of two or more of these.

18. The method of claim 1 , in which the plasma modification comprises application of a barrier coating to the surface of the barrel.

19. The method of claim 18 , in which the barrier coating consists essentially of SiO x , in which x is from 1.5 to 2.9.

20. The method of claim 1 , in which the plasma modification comprises application of a pH protective coating to the surface of the barrel, in which the pH protective coating consists essentially of SiO x C y , in which x is from about 0.5 to about 2.4 and y is from about 0.6 to about 3.