Chemical surface modification of fluorocarbon polymers by excimer laser processing

Surface of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) [PTFE] film was modified chemically by an ArF excimer laser-induced reaction in a hydrazine gas atmosphere. The polymer surface modified upon the irradiation of 1000 pulses at 27 mJ cm−2, which was a fairly lower fluence than the ablation threshold for usual polymer films, showed hydrophilicity (contact angle for water: 30°) enough to be metallized by chemical plating. The mechanism for chemical surface modification was investigated by FTIR, XPS, and SIMS analyses. The laser-treated PTFE film was metallized by a chemical plating process. These processes will be used to fabricate printed wiring boards for high frequency electronics.