Ion beam enhanced deposition and dynamic ion mixing for surface modification

Ion implantation techniques have proved to be very effective in the production of compounds with predetermined composition, whose characteristics are interesting for the improvement of surface properties. One of the limiting factors for such treatments is the shallow thickness of the modified layer. A recently developed method to avoid this drawback is the Ion Beam Enhanced Deposition (IBED) technique: it consists of simultaneous or sequential deposition/implantation steps, which allow for making the depth of the treated region nearly independent on the projected range of the implanted ions. Moreover, the ion beam plays a role in increasing the adhesion and uniformity of the deposited film. The authors consider three different surface compounds: chromium nitride, niobium nitride, and the alloy CuxCr1-x. (Auth.)