ABSTRACTThe thermal stability of ion irradiated 1.7 μm thick AZ-1350J photoresist films was investigated using the RBS and ERDA techniques to measure the composition of the irradiated and annealed films. The films have been irradiated with He, N and Ar ions at energies from 380 to 760 keV and fluences between 2 × 1015 and 1016 ions cm−2. A considerable increase in the thermal stability of the He irradiated film is observed from ≈200°C – when the non-irradiated film starts to decompose – to 400°C after the irradiation. The FTIR spectroscopy and the SEM observations were used to study the chemical structural changes and the surface morphology of the irradiated samples. The results are discussed in terms of the energy density deposited by the ions, the large loss of H during irradiation, and the resulting increase in cross-linking density.