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Fluorinated amorphous carbon (aC: F) thin films were synthesized for applications in low dielectric constant intermetal dielectric materials. The deposition was carried out in a capacitively coupled, asymmetric plasma reactor using hexafluorobenzene (C 6 F 6) as the source gas and argon as the carrier gas. The effects of applied rf power on the electric, optical and mechanical properties of the aC: F films were investigated. The bonding structures and properties of the films were evaluated by FTIR spectrometry, UV-Vis spectrophotometry and stress measurements. The films exhibit a dielectric constant as low as 2.0 and have high transparency in the visible range. The deposition rate of the aC: F films increases, reaches a maximum, and then gradually decreases with increasing rf power. High rf power raises the negative self-bias voltage at the substrate and leads to an increase in the content of conjugated C# C …