Plasma source ion-implantation technique for surface modification of materials

Plasma source ion-implantation (PSII) is a new ion-implantation technique which has been optimized for surface modification of materials such as metals, plastics, and ceramics. PSII departs radically from conventional implantation technology by circumventing the line-of-sight restriction inherent in conventional ion implantation. In PSII, targets to be implanted are placed directly in a plasma source and then pulse biased to a high negative potential. A plasma sheath forms around the target and ions bombard the entire target simultaneously. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated that PSII: (1) efficiently implants ions to concentrations and depths required for surface modification, (2) produces material with improved microhardness and wear properties, and (3) dramatically improves the life of manufacturing tools in actual industrial applications. For example, the tool life of M-2 pierce punches used to produce holes in mild steel plate has been increased by a factor of 80.