Analysis of polyethyleneterephthalate film surface sputtered with Ar neutral and Ar ion beams

Polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) film surfaces sputtered with Ar neutral and Ar ion beams were investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was observed that the surface sputtered with the Ar neutral beam was flatter than that with the ion beam. AFM observation showed that the morphology size on the surface sputtered with Ar neutral beam was larger than that made by ion beam sputtering. XPS analysis showed that the decomposition of chemical bonding was reduced and the formation of amorphous carbon on the surface was suppressed when the surface was sputtered with the Ar neutral beam. The flattening mechanism could be clarified by AFM observation and XPS analysis. The sputtering process differs between the neutral beam and the ion beam with the same energy and dose. (author)