PROPERTIES OF METALLIC-FILMS ON POLYMER SUBSTRATES COATED BY AR-BEAM-ASSISTED DEPOSITION( ION)

The quality of adhesion of a metallic film coated on a polymer substra te constitutes a serious problem affecting the life of coating product s. Generally, means for improving the adhesion of films formed by vapo r deposition consist of the application of a heating or corona dischar ge process to the substrate. Methods involving concurrent energetic pa rticle bombardment during evaporation, however, can strongly modify th e adhesive properties of the resulting thin film. In this study the au thors report on the adhesion to polymers of films assisted by 2 keV (0 .2 A m-2) Ar+ ion bombardment during the initial evaporation and of or dinary vapor deposition films. The wear property of Ti, Cu and Al film s on various polymer substrates is measured by the pin-on-disk test to estimate the adhesion. In many samples the defacement of the ordinary vapor deposition films appears more clearly than that of the films as sisted by Ar+ ion bombardment after a total wear distance of 10 m. The decrease in adhesion between the polymers and the metallic films coat ed by Ar+ ion-beam-assisted deposition depends on the beat distortion temperature of the polymer.