Plasma immersion ion implantation of poly(tetrafluoroethylene)

Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) has been used with a filtered cathodic arc to implant copper and carbon ions into poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE). The PTFE substrates for the copper implantation were placed perpendicular to the plasma beam, whilst those for carbon implantation were oriented parallel to the drift velocity of the beam to minimise the deposition of low energy ions. Electrodes in the form of a backing plate and a mask with holes were used to apply the pulsed bias from the PIII supply. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has shown that there is a structural change in the PTFE induced by both the copper and carbon implantation. Raman spectroscopy of the carbon implanted samples showed the presence of an amorphous carbon peak, which remained even after cleaning the surface to remove loosely bound carbon. This shows that there is both implantation and deposition of the carbon occurring. In the case of copper, this method resulted in well-adhered films. The implanted PTFE has been examined for changes in wear resistance. Both copper and carbon modified surfaces showed improvements in wear resistance.