Cu film and Ti/Cu film on polyimide substrate were prepared by ion implantation and ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) techniques. Three-dimension white-light interfering profilometer was used to measure thickness of each film. The thickness of the Cu film and Ti/Cu film ranged between 490 nm and 640 nm. The depth profile, surface morphology, roughness, adhesion, nanohardness, and modulus of the Cu and Ti/Cu films were measured by scanning Auger nanoprobe (SAN), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and nanoindenter, respectively. The polyimide substrates irradiated with argon ions were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and AFM. The results suggested that both the Cu film and Ti/Cu film were of good adhesion with polyimide substrate, and ion beam techniques were suitable to prepare thin metal film on polyimide. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.