A new thermally assisted, plasma based, ionic implantation system of treatment and deposition.

Plasma based ionic implantation (PBII) is a new alternative to conventional ion implantation to produce near-surface treatments, layer growth or semiconductor doping, with the advantage of being non-directional. Furthermore, it can be used for improving the corrosion, friction and wear resisting properties of materials. This paper describes the development of a thermally assisted plasma immersion implantation reactor (TAPIIR). The system aimed at treating samples in the 0.5–60 keV range, with temperature regulation up to 1000°C. Thermochemical treatments, like the nitriding of steels or aluminium, are studied with a separate implantation and diffusion parameter control.