| Abstract: | Tetrafluoroethylene–perfluoroalkyl vinylether copolymer (PFA) sheet surfaces were modified with argon, helium, oxygen, and hydrogen plasmas. How the four plasmas modified the PFA sheet surfaces was investigated. All plasmas modified the PFA surfaces and at the same time initiated degradation of the PFA polymer chains. The balance between modification and degradation was strongly influenced by the magnitude of the discharge current in the plasmas. Efficiency of the plasmas in modification was hydrogen plasma > oxygen plasma > argon plasma > helium plasma. The modification involved defluorination of CF2 carbons into CHF and CH2 carbons and oxidation into O? CH2, O? CHF, and O? CF2 groups. The surface‐modification technique (a combination of hydrogen plasma treatment and silane coupling treatment) proposed in this study was applied for copper metallization of the PFA surface. The utility of the technique was confirmed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1087–1097, 2002 |
