Force microscopy of clean and gold covered polyimide films
Abstract
Force microscopy has been used to study the surface morphology of polyimide and polyimide coated with gold films up to 50 A thick. the polyimide samples include Kapton foils and 200 A thick, spin-coated PMDA-ODA films. A Park Instruments SFM-BD2 surface force microscope operated in the constant force imaging mode was used for all the experiments. In all cases the Si3N4 tip was found to interact strongly with the clean polyimide substrate and to cause mass transport on the polymer surface. The spin coated films showed surface features with lateral dimensions of 500-1000 A and about 6 A rms roughness normal to the surface. We have used the strong tip-surface interactions to make controlled modifications of the surface including scribed lines as narrow as 500 A and raised areas 1 sq micron square and about 80 A high. The rms roughness was increased to 16A on surfaces coated with gold to mean thicknesses of 3 and 50 A. The 3 A gold film also significantly reduces the tip-substrate interaction.
- Publication:
-
Polymides and Other High-Temperature Polymers
- Pub Date:
- 1991
- Bibcode:
- 1991poht.proc..427U
- Keywords:
-
- Dielectrics;
- Gold Coatings;
- Kapton (Trademark);
- Microscopy;
- Polyimides;
- Polymeric Films;
- Surface Roughness;
- Adhesion;
- Electronic Packaging;
- Microelectronics;
- Micromachining;
- Silicon Nitrides;
- Electronics and Electrical Engineering