Study on evolution of gases from fluoropolymer films bombarded with heavy ions

Ion beam bombardment provides a unique way of material modification by inducing a high degree of localized electronic excitation. The ion track, or affected volume along the ion path through the material is related to the total damage and possible structural changes. Here we study the evolution of gases emitted by poly(tetrafluorethylene-co-perfluoro-(propyl vinyl ether)) (PFA) fluoropolymer bombarded with MeV gold ions. The gas was monitored by a residual gas analyzer (RGA), as a function of the ion fluence. Micro-Raman, atomic force microscopy and optical absorption were used to analyze the chemical structure changes and sputtering yield.