Pulsed laser deposition of poly(tetrafluoroethylene), poly(methylmethacrylate), and polycarbonate utilizing anthracene-photosensitized ablation

A novel method of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was applied to poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), and polycarbonate (PC). The basis of the technique is that ablation is brought about by excitation not of polymers themselves but of anthracene doped in the polymer targets. Laser excitation of anthracene at 355/351 nm leads to efficient temperature elevation at the irradiated spot followed by ablation. Photosensitized PLD of these three polymers gave thin colorless films whose chemical structures and surface morphology were analyzed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and optical/ atomic force microscopy, respectively. For PTFE, IR spectra of the deposited films were almost identical to that of the PTFE target. For PMMA, a thin film was deposited, and it was assumed that crosslinking reactions occurred in the film. Furthermore, photosensitized PLD produced a thin film of PC whose chemical structure is somewhat complicated.