5 cycles as shown in fig5 before the fifth cycle the total film thickness was nearly zero however after this initial period the dipped films grew linearly at a rate of 3 8 nm per layer pair in contrast the sprayed films did not exhibit any initial non linear growth regime film thickness grew linearly with number of layer pairs and at the slightly lower rate of 2 7 nm per layer pair in this case sprayed layers were 77 of the thickness of dipped layers thus in the case of pdac sps n spray deposition can be used to suppress the initial nonlinear growth regime common with dipped deposition afm images of the initial bilayer of pdac sps deposition in the spraying case and dipping case were taken and compared these thickness measurements for growth curves were performed on a woolam xls 100 spectroscopic ellipsometer and checked using a tencor p10 profilometer by scoring the film and profiling the score a stylus tip force of 6 mg was used during profilometry to avoid penetrating the polymer film esem analysis was performed on a fei phillips xl30 feg esem micrographs were taken at operating pressures between 0 9 and 1 5 mbar with a spot size of 3 0 atomic force microscopy was conducted using a digital instruments dimension 3100 in tapping mode at an amplitude set point of 0 8 v under dry conditions in order to obtain.