Materials modification using intense ion beams

Pulsed intense ion beams have been developed for applications including surface modification and alloying, and thin-film and nanopowder synthesis. Rapid thermal processing with ions is quite promising for large-scale commercial use, due to the high specific ion energy deposition (joules per cubic centimeter) without reflection, and to the relative efficiency and low cost of the pulsed power ion-beam drivers compared to other high-kinetic energy alternatives. We discuss in this paper the basis for the use of ions in materials processing and in the methods of beam formation and impingement on material to be treated, and give examples of recent and ongoing work in materials processing.