PULSED-LASER DEPOSITION OF POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE

Thin films of polytetrafluoroethylene have been deposited on amorphous substrates by the pulsed-laser deposition technique. By transmission electron microscopy, the polymer films were shown to consist of both a morphous and crystalline components. The data for the crystalline comp onent are consistent with it being highly ordered with the long helica l molecular chains aligned parallel to the film-substrate interface pl ane. The fraction of crystalline material in the films was found to be related to the substrate temperature during deposition with the maxim um amount of crystalline material occurring when the substrate tempera ture was close to the melting temperature of the polymer.