Surface modification of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) films by plasma polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and its relevance to the electroless deposition of copper

Surface modification of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) films by plasma polymerization and deposition of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was carried out. The effects of glow-discharge conditions on the chemical structure and composition of the deposited GMA polymer were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. XPS and FTIR results revealed that the epoxide groups in the plasma-polymerized GMA (pp-GMA) layer had been preserved to various extents, depending on the plasma deposition conditions. The morphology of the modified PTFE surface was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The pp-GMA film with well-preserved epoxide groups was used as an adhesion promotion layer to enhance the adhesion of the electrolessly deposited copper on the PTFE film. The T-peel adhesion test results showed that the adhesion strength between the electrolessly deposited copper and the pp-GMA-modified PTFE (pp-GMA-PTFE) film was much higher than that between the electrolessly deposited copper and the pristine or the Ar plasma-treated PTFE film.