Plasma immersion ion implantation of insulating materials

Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) was proposed in the mid-1980s and has mostly been applied to conducting materials or semiconductors. There is much interest in extending the technology to the treatment of insulating materials such as polymers, ceramics, rubber, etc. Implantation into these electrical insulating materials can enhance the properties and performance. In this paper, we describe our research work related to the plasma implantation of insulating materials. We have conducted numerical simulation using plasma fluid model and particle-in-cell (PIC) model as well as experimental investigations. During implantation of insulating materials, capacitance effects and surface charging reduce the energy of the incident ions. Severe charging occurs at the initial time stage and the insulating sample on the metal target holder distorts the local plasma sheath leading to complicated implantation dynamics. In order to improve the implantation energy, a metal mesh is used to accelerate ions from the plasma and our results show that it is an effective technique for thick or large insulating objects. The metal mesh not only improves the implantation energy and the incident dose but also reduces the possibility of surface arcing.