Advances in PSII techniques for surface modification

Recent activities in plasma source ion implantation (PSII) technology include scale-up demonstrations for industry and development of variations on the original PSII concept for surface modification. This paper presents an overview of the continued growth of PSII research facilities world-wide and the industrial demonstrations within the USA. In order to expand the applicability of PSII, Los Alamos is actively researching a PSII-related technique called plasma immersion ion processing (PIIP). In one case, a pulsed-biased target can be combined with cathodic are sources to perform ion implantation and coating deposition with metal plasmas. Erbium plasmas have been combined with oxygen to deposit erbia (Er(2)O(3)) coatings that are useful for containment of molten metals. In a second case, hydrocarbon, inorganic and organometallic gases are utilized to create a graded interface between the substrate and the coating that is subsequently deposited by using pulsed-bias techniques. PIIP represents a significant advance since it allows coating deposition with all the strengths of the original PSII approach. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) and boron carbide are two such coatings that will be highlighted here for tribological applications. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.