Abstract
The formation of orientational microgrooves on polymer films via anode layer thruster (ALT) plasma treatment is reported. The surface morphology of the plasma-treated polymer films was examined by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). It shows that the microgrooves are aligned periodically in the scan direction of the plasma beam. The microgrooves become more pronounced as the number of scans increases. The depth of the microgrooves and the azimuthal anchoring energy also increase with the number of the plasma beam scans. © 2006 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.