Acetylene (C2H2) plasma immersion ion implantation-deposition (PIII-D) is conducted on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to improve its blood compatibility. The structural and physicochemical properties of the modified surface are characterized by, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and static contact angle measurement. Atomic force microscopy discloses that the average roughness (R-a) of film surface decreases from 58.9 nm to 11.4 nm after C2H2 PIII-D treats PET. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows that the specfic adsorption peaks for PET decrease after ion implantation and deposition. Raman spectroscopy indicates that a thin amorphous polymerlike carbon (PLC) film is formed in the PET. The effects of the surface modification on the chemical bonding of C, H, and O are examined by XPS and the results show that the ratio of sp(3) C-C to sp(2) C=C is 0.25. After C2H2 PIII-D, the polar component gamma(p) of surface energy increases from 2.4 mN/m to 12.3 mN/m and gamma(p)/gamma(d) increases from 0.06 to 0.35. The wettability of the modified surfaces is improved. Scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy reveal that the amounts of adhered, aggregated and morphologically changed platelets are reduced by the deposition of an amorphous polymer-like carbon film. The thrombin time, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time of the modified PET are longer than those of the untreated PET. Our result thus shows that the amorphous PLC film deposited on the PET surface by C2H2 PIII-D improves platelet adhesion and activation. (C) 2004 American Vacuum Society.