Effect of solvents on the morphology of PMMA films fabricated by spin-coating

Abstract A method to produce thin layer of PMMA (poly (methyl methacrylate) films by spin coating is reported. PMMA is dissolved in xylene, a mixture of MIBK-xylene and chloroform. Varying the PMMA concentration and spin-coating speeds controls the thickness of the PMMA films. Using chloroform as solvent evidenced thickness around 10 μm. This thickness is suitable for core of optical polymeric films. These PMMA films with lower roughness are treated with CHF3 plasma to produce the cladding. The morphology of PMMA films is analyzed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Profilometry, metricon and contact angle analysis are associated with the effective parameters in roughness and their effect before and after plasma treatment. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) is used for estimating molecular weights of PMMA.