Structural origin of surface morphological modifications developed on poly(ethylene terephthalate) by excimer laser photoablation

摘要

The ablation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) by Ar‐F laser radiation has been studied at different fluences for amorphous and semicrystalline samples by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by etch‐depth measurements. The surface structure created on PET has been interpreted as resulting mainly from a difference in the etch rate—and not the ablation threshold—between amorphous and semicrystalline PET. SEM pictures clearly show the melting of the PET surface at high fluence (≥80 to 100 mJ/cm2) and not below that value. UV laser etching is proposed as a quick and easy method for observing the crystalline subsurface structure of aromatic semicrystalline polymers, as long as low fluence and a low pulse repetition rate are used.