Metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (MPIII and D) using a metal plasma electron evaporation source (MPEES)

This paper describes a new type of metal plasma source for metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (MPIII and D). The source is termed as Metal Plasma Electron Evaporation Source (MPEES). In certain aspect, its operation resembles electron beam evaporation, but the difference is that the electrons in MPEES are generated from the metal vapor plasma. They, in turn, also ionize the metal vapor to obtain the plasma. The system starts with an Ar plasma to evaporate and ionize metal vapor. Once the system is stabilized, Ar is turned off and the metal plasma sustains on its own. Then by combining this metal plasma source with conventional Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation and Deposition (PIII and D), we obtained Metal Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation and Deposition (MPIII and D). Using this system, we have implanted and coated Cr and Ti on test Si samples. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) have shown that Cr and Ti have been implanted into a large area of about 90 cm in diameter. The new technology can be applied to many areas such as in tribology to address wear, corrosion and fatigue issues, and in metallurgy for alloying materials that cannot be obtained using conventional methods. In this paper, we will describe the principle of the plasma source, source design considerations, and MPIII and D system set up and operation. Preliminary test data will also be presented.