Transparent thermoplastic polymers in plasma-assisted coating processes

The performance of polymethylacrylate, polycarbonate, Zeonex® and Topas® as substrate materials in plasma-assisted physical vapour deposition processes has been studied. Different effects of UV radiation, plasma and ion bombardment on the polymers' optical features, surface energy and adhesion properties for oxide layers are shown. As a consequence, conditions for the deposition of optical coatings on these substrates are discussed.