UTILIZATION OF PLASMA SOURCE ION-IMPLANTATION FOR TRIBOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS

Plasma source ion implantation (PSII) has been developed as an alterna tive technique to circumvent the limitations of conventional ion impla ntation. such as the requirements of complicated target handling and b eam raster systems for a uniform ion implantation of three-dimensional samples. By applying negative high voltage pulses, positively charged ions are accelerated to and implanted into the target. The plasma she ath expansion and ion doses, calculated with a theoretical model, are in good agreement with the experimentally obtained data. As the analyt ical model describes the experimental data sufficiently, it is used to discuss design specifications for PSII systems. Furthermore, the poss ibility of implanting ions into large, three-dimensional samples is di scussed on the basis of predictions of the analytical model. The resul ts of nitrogen PSII treatment of planar samples are shown. Wear and ha rdness of the implanted and unimplanted flat steel samples with a high chromium content were measured. An increased hardness as well as a de creased wear was obtained. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.