Micro ion beam used to optimize the quality of microstructures based on polydimethylsiloxane

Ion micro beam was employed to fabricate microstructures based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). Carbon ions with energy of 6.0 MeV were used. The ion treatment induces modifications in PDMS surface and on the optical properties as a function of the ion current and fluence. PDMS foils were produced from commercially available two component addition materials. The selective modifications of the polymer were studied for applications in micro-fluids, micro-optics and micro-electronics. The comparison between the unirradiated and irradiated PDMS was investigated in morphology and compactness using the atomic force microscopy. The wetting ability of the PDMS surface was also analyzed as a function of the ion microbeam irradiation. The compositional and optical changes in PDMS were monitored by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, elastic recoil detection analysis and optical spectroscopy measurements.