Surface resistivity modification of polyimide film by plasma source ion implantation

Summary form only given. Plasma source ion implantation (PSII) is a very useful technique in modifying characteristics of the material surfaces. We used a modified PSII process in which repetitive high voltage pulses were applied to grids placed far outside of the sheath region. It was formed at the surface of the polyimide immersed in the plasma. The mechanism of the ion acceleration in the modified PSII system was investigated by the simulation using the XOOPIC program. After the surface treatment using the modified PSII process with the inductive coupled plasma, the surface resistivity of polyimide was decreased from 10¹⁶ ohm/square to the range of 10⁶ ~ 10⁹ ohm/square. Polyimide was modified to improve the surface electrical conductivity in the energy range of 5 ~ 30 kV. The TEM analysis showed that the MPSII treatment with -30 kV pulse changed the structure of the polyimide to a depth of 90 nm. We present the modified PSII system and the surface resistivity dependency by the pulse shape and treatment time.