Optical properties and oxidation of carbonized and cross-linked structures formed in polycarbonate by plasma immersion ion implantation

At ion fluences higher than 5 · 1015 ions/cm2, plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) of polycarbonate (PC) results in a formation of a carbonized surface layer. The thickness of this layer is close to the depth of ion penetration. A comparison of PIII treated, spin-coated PC films with pre-treatment thicknesses designed to match and exceed the carbonized layer thickness is employed to study the properties of the carbonised layer independently from the less modified underlying structure. At ion fluencies higher than 1016 ions/cm2, the thinner PC film is completely transformed into an amorphous carbon-like material with no traces of the initial PC structure. The thicker films, however, incorporated two layers: a top carbonised layer and a cross-linked layer below. Compared to the two-layered PC film, the completely carbonized layer was found to have a much higher concentration of CO bonds and much lower concentration of O-H bonds after exposure to atmospheric oxygen. The refractive index of the thicker PC films PIII treated with high ion fluencies is close to the refractive index of diamond-like carbon. Anomalous dispersion of the refractive index of the thicker PC films is observed after formation of the carbonised layer. The refractive index of the thinner PC film has normal dispersion at all ion fluences. At ion fluences of 2 · 1016 ions/cm2, both PC films were found to have the same etching rate as polystyrene. Washing in dichloromethane had no effect on the carbonised layer but affected the underlying material in the case of the thicker PC films leading to a wrinkled structure up to ion fluences of 2 · 1016 ions/cm2. At this and higher fluence, areas of an ordered island-like structure were observed.