Polyimide film was sputtered onto silicon wafers. The initial deposition rate was low, increasing with increasing gas pressure. The molecular structure of the deposited polyimide film was notably different from that of the target material, the sputtering resulting in an increase in carbon component. The sputtering process of polyimide is basically a plasma chemical reaction process involving decomposition, recombination and carbonization. The tribological properties of the sputtered polyimide film were investigated. Both the frictional coefficient and abrasion resistance of the film were satisfactory.