RECENT ADVANCES IN ION-BEAM MODIFICATION OF METALS

Ion beam modification of metals continues to be an active area of research and development. The field has evolved from ion implantation for shallow subsurface treatments to ion beam mixing, and ion beam assisted deposition for coating and thin film applications. The most significant developments in direct ion implantation have been the development of high current sources, commercial scale implantation facilities and plasma source implantation facilities. The ion beam mixing area has seen substantial progress in understanding the relative contributions of ballistic mixing and chemical effects in the thermal spike and in understanding amorphization of solids, ion beam assisted deposition has seen rapid progress in characterizing the effects of the process variables on microstructure and properties and shows tremendous potential for using the energetic flux to tailor properties of thin films. Molecular dynamics modelling has proven to be especially valuable in understanding these low energy ion-solid interactions. Pulsed ion beam evaporation offers some new possibilities for rapid large area deposition of thin films.