Polyisobutylene Thin Films Obtained by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation for Sensors Applications

Thin films of polyisobutylene (PIB) were deposited by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) for advanced sensors applications. Matrices with 1 and 2 wt% frozen solutions were used as solid targets for the polymer deposition. For the irradiation of the targets the quadrupled output of a Nd:YAG laser source (266 nm) was used, at various fluences (0.1–0.5 J × cm⁻². Silicon and fused silica plates were used as substrates. We have shown that by varying the laser parameters such as fluence and number of pulses we were able to control the thickness of the films as well as the surface uniformity and roughness. The chemical characterization was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The morphology and the thickness of the films were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).