VUV ablation of polymers by emission from gas-puff Z-pinch plasmas

We have made experiments of the polymer ablation utilizing the gas-puff Z-pinch plasmas which provide a highly bright emission extending over a broad wavelength range from visible lights to X-rays. When the emission was irradiated through a mask onto a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film, the irradiated area was ablated and a pattern of the mask was copied on the surface of the film. A detail observation with an atomic force microscope showed that the irradiated area was precisely processed with no thermal damage. A chlorinated polyvinylchloride (Cl-PVC) pellet was also irradiated. The analysis of unirradiated and irradiated surface was performed by FTIR-ATR. The FTIR-ATR spectrum after irradiation shows an appearance of a new peak attributed to C5C bonds.