Abstract
Ion implantation has been shown to significantly alter the surface properties of polymers. Polycarbonate(PC) and Polyimide(PI) were irradiated with 50keV $N^+$, $Xe^+$ ions to the fluences of $1{\times}10^{16}{\sim}3{\times}10^{17}\;cm^2$. The ion beam-induced modification of the electrical conductivity and the related structural features have been studied for polymers. The beam-induced chemical and structural modifications have been investigated by using X-ray Phooelectron Spectroscopy(XPS) and Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy(FT-IR), while the modification of the electrical properties was followed by performing a complete set of sheet resistance measurements. Samples irradiated at higher fluence showed a good conductivity, with a saturation value of $10^7{\Omega}/sq$. The XPS data demonstrate that the modification of the electrical properties is due to the progressive formation with increasing ion fluence of a dense amorphous carbon network, while PF-IR data reveal that material degradations through bond breaking are the main effects.