Depth profiling of a Polymer blend (Polybutylmethacralate (69%)/PDMS in chloroform) is demonstrated using Nanonics' combined AFM-Raman systems.

Often a preferred way to view depth profiling is to image the edge of a film. For hard films like semiconductors such edges can be produced with little surface roughness. With polymer films however it is difficult to produce an edge without significant surface roughness and this does not permit true Raman intensity comparisons when imaging an edge. However, with an on-line AFM this problem is now resolved.

Above we see a topographic image of the edge of a polymer blend film as shown by the blue arrows with the Raman image superimposed in one region. The Raman map was produced for the 495 cm-1band of PDMS. Note that, as shown in the 3D topographic image on the bottom left the height variation is 8.5 microns which would have precluded Raman intensity comparison without the Nanonics combined AFM-Raman system.