RECENT ADVANCES IN ION-BEAM MODIFICATION OF METALS

Ion beam modification of metals continues to be an active area of rese arch and development. The field has evolved from ion implantation for shallow subsurface treatments to ion beam mixing, and ion beam assiste d deposition for coating and thin film applications. The most signific ant 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 se en substantial progress in understanding the relative contributions of ballistic mixing and chemical effects in the thermal spike and in und erstanding amorphization of solids, ion beam assisted deposition has s een rapid progress in characterizing the effects of the process variab les on microstructure and properties and shows tremendous potential fo r using the energetic flux to tailor properties of thin films. Molecul ar dynamics modelling has proven to be especially valuable in understa nding these low energy ion-solid interactions. Pulsed ion beam evapora tion offers some new possibilities for rapid large area deposition of thin films.