A model organic material, namely the 36-n-alkane hexatriacontane, was etched
in a dissymmetrical parallel plate RF plasma reactor and a dual distributed
electron cyclotron resonance (DECR) plasma reactor, in different O2-Ar
mixtures. A specific attention was paid to the role of the ion bombardment,
especially when its effect is combined with the chemically active species
created in an oxygen discharge. The discharge was monitored by optical
emission spectroscopy (OES). The modifications induced by plasma treatment
on the structure of the material were analysed by Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy (FTIR), steric exclusion chromatography (SEC) and composition
analysis. We found that the ion bombardment has not only a sputtering effect
but also enhances the reaction rate of the chemical species on the layer
surface. It appears that plasma treatment leads to cross-linking and
recombination with molecules from the room atmosphere.