Research and development in plasma-based ion implantation in Europe. I. Apparatus and projects

More than a decade ago the first results on plasma-based ion implantation w ere presented by groups in the U.S. and Australia in the metallurgical fiel d, and by groups in Japan for semiconductor processing. In the meantime, th is technology has found widespread interest and is nearing commercializatio n. In Europe, the first reports in the literature appeared in the beginning of the 1990s. The present review discusses the research and development in plasma-based ion implantation in Europe, both the historical development a nd the present status, including the development of apparatus and projects which have been carried out. (C) 1999 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-211X( 99)01802-8].