Adhesion enhancement of evaporated copper on HDPE surface modified by plasma polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate

Abstract

AbstractSurface modification of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) surfaces by plasma polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) (the pp‐GMA‐HDPE surfaces), in the absence and presence of Ar plasma pre‐activation of the HDPE substrates, was carried out to enhance the adhesion of the polymer with evaporated copper. THe FTIR and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results suggested that the epoxide functional groups on the pp‐GMA‐HDPE surfaces had been preserved to various extents, depending on the RF power used during plasma polymerization. Ar plasma pre‐activation of the HDPE surface led to the strong interaction of the pp‐GMA layer with the HDPE substrate. GMA plasma polymerization at low RF powers and in the presence of Ar plasma pre‐activation was shown to be an effective method for enhancing the adhesion of HDPE with the evaporated Cu. An optimum adhesion strength of about 16 N/cm was achieved between the evaporated Cu and the pp‐GMA‐HDPE surface prepared by plasma polymerization of GMA at 5 W, 100 Pa, 20 sccm for 5 s on the HDPE surface pre‐activated by Ar plasma at 35 W, 100 Pa 20 sccm for 20 s. The adhesion enhancement of the Cu/pp‐GMA‐HDPE assemblies in the presence of Ar plasma pre‐activation of the HDPE substrate was attributed to the covalent bonding of the plasma‐polymerized GMA (pp‐GMA) layer with the HDPE surface, the preservation of the epoxide functional groups in the pp‐GMA layer, and the spatial interactions of pp‐GMA chains with the evaporated Cu matrix.