Influence of thermal treatment on the morphology and adhesion of gold films on trimethylcyclohexane-polycarbonate

We report on the influence of thermal treatment on the morphology and adhesion of the interface between gold and the polymer trimethylcyclohexane-polycarbonate TMC-PC.. The investigations were carried out by means of cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy XTEM., atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and peel tests. It is shown that significant changes in the morphology can be obtained by annealing above the glass transition temperature Tg. of the polymer. Peel tests revealed an extreme enhancement of the initially very poor adhesion of gold on TMC-PC after thermal treatment above Tg. Evaluation of the XTEM results yields a diffusion coefficient for gold in TMC-PC of Ds3.8=10y15 cm2rs at 2358C in excellent agreement with the atomic tracer diffusivity. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved