REACTIONS AT THE POLYIMIDE METAL INTERFACE

Ultra-high-vacuum spectroscopic techniques are utilized to investigate the mechanism of the interfacial reactions of copper and titanium with polyimides. Ultra-violet photoemission spectroscopy of in situ deposited Cu on polyimides suggests that covalent interaction between the metal and the polymer is absent. Model studies confirm this finding. Alternatively, deposition of Ti onto polyimides shows the presence of strong covalent interaction between the imide moiety of the polymer backbone and the metal. Solution model studies support a mechanism for the Ti-polyimide reaction involving initial Ti-O bond formation followed by Ti-C bonding at higher coverages of material.