PULSED-LASER ABLATION AND DEPOSITION OF FLUOROCARBON POLYMERS

Thin films of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene fluori de (PVDF) have been formed by the pulsed-laser deposition technique. T he structure of the PTFE films depends upon the substrate temperature during deposition. At substrate temperatures from room temperature to 200 degrees C the films were determined to be amorphous. Films formed at higher substrate temperatures contain both amorphous and crystallin e components, Transmission IR spectroscopy indicates that the amorphou s and the semi-crystalline variants of PTFE are chemically equivalent. The PVDF films were found to be amorphous for all substrate temperatu res studied in the range 25 degrees C to 200 degrees C. For both mater ials it was found that the use of higher substrate temperatures result s in the formation of smoother films.