Effect of Reactive Ion Etching on the Surface of Polymethylmethacrylate

The influence of oxygen-, fluorine-, and argon-containing plasmas on the morphology of the surface of polymethylmethacrylate during reactive ion etching is investigated. A series of experiments on poly-mer surface etching microns is performed at different gas compositions (O-2, N-2, Ar, O-2/N-2, O-2/Ar, CF4, and O-2/CF4). It is demonstrated that the etching depth and surface roughness of the material increase with increasing RF oscillator power and, moreover, depend considerably on the composition and percentage ratio of gases injected into the chamber.