DIFFUSION OF FECL3 INTO ION-IMPLANTED POLYETHYLENE

The diffusion of FeCl3 from water solution into polyethylene (PE) impl anted with 150 keV N+ ions to doses of 1 X 10(12) and 1 X 10(15) cm(-2 ) was studied by the Rutherford backscattering technique (RES). Throug hout the depth region examined, the experimental ratio of atomic conce ntrations of Fe and Cl atoms in PE is about 2 and 3 for higher and low er implanted doses, respectively. This ratio is very different from th e FeCl3 stoichiometric value. The FeCl3 doping leads to a decrease of the PE sheet resistivity in comparison with the as-implanted samples. A time-dependent increase of the sheet resistivity of the doped PE sam ples was observed at room temperature over the time interval of 140 h after the doping. The reduction and subsequent recovery of the sheet r esistivity depends upon the FeCl3 concentration in the water solution.