Metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition: a review

Metal plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (MePIIID) is a hybrid process combining cathodic are deposition and plasma immersion ion implantation. The properties of a metal plasma produced by vacuum arcs are reviewed and the consequences for MePIIID are discussed. Different version of MePIIID are described and compared with traditional methods of surface modification such as ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). MePIIID is a very versatile approach because of the wide range of ion species and energies used. At one extreme case, films are deposited with ions In the energy range 20-50 eV, and at the other extreme, ions can be implanted with high energy (100 keV or more) without film deposition. Novel features of the technique include the use of improved macroparticle filters; the implementation of several plasma sources for multi-element surface modification; tuning of ion energy during implantation and deposition to tailor the substrate-film intermixed layer and structure of the growing film; simultaneous pulsing of the plasma potential (positive) and substrate bias (negative) with a modified Marx generator; and the use of high ion charge states. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.