A study of materials modification by ion irradiation. The papers address topics such as: ion beam modification of polymers; nanoclusters and nonlinear optics; and photonic integrated circuits and quantum wells.

Ion beams have been used for decades for characterizing and analyzing materials. Now energetic ion beams are providing ways to modify the materials in unprecedented ways. This book highlights the emergence of high-energy swift heavy ions as a tool for tailoring the properties of materials with nanoscale structures. Swift heavy ions interact with materials by exciting/ionizing electrons without directly moving the atoms. This opens a new horizon towards the 'so-called' soft engineering. The book discusses the ion beam technology emerging from the non-equilibrium conditions and emphasizes the power of controlled irradiation to tailor the properties of various types of materials for specific needs.

This book presents the method of ion beam modification of solids in realization, theory and applications in a comprehensive way. It provides a review of the physical basics of ion-solid interaction and on ion-beam induced structural modifications of solids. Ion beams are widely used to modify the physical properties of materials. A complete theory of ion stopping in matter and the calculation of the energy loss due to nuclear and electronic interactions are presented including the effect of ion channeling. To explain structural modifications due to high electronic excitations, different concepts are presented with special emphasis on the thermal spike model. Furthermore, general concepts of damage evolution as a function of ion mass, ion fluence, ion flux and temperature are described in detail and their limits and applicability are discussed. The effect of nuclear and electronic energy loss on structural modifications of solids such as damage formation, phase transitions and amorphization is reviewed for insulators and semiconductors. Finally some selected applications of ion beams are given.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Materials Modification by High-Fluence Ion Beams, Viana do Castelo, Portugal, August 24-September 4, 1987

This conference consisted of 15 oral sessions, including three plenary papers covering areas of general interest, 22 specialist invited papers and 51 contributed presentations as well as three poster sessions. There were several scientific highlights covering a diverse spectrum of materials and ion beam processing methods. These included a wide range of conventional and novel applications such as: optical displays and opto-electronics, motor vehicle and tooling parts, coatings tailored for desired properties, studies of fundamental defect properties, the production of novel (often buried) compounds, and treating biomedical materials. The study of nanocrystals produced by ion implantation in a range of host matrices, particularly for opto-electronics applications, was one especially new and exciting development. Despite several decades of study, major progress was reported at the conference in understanding defect evolution in semiconductors and the role of defects in transient impurity diffusion. The use of implantation to tune or isolate optical devices and in forming optically active centres and waveguides in semiconductors, polymers and oxide ceramics was a major focus of several presentations at the conference. The formation of hard coatings by ion assisted deposition or direct implantation was also an area which showed much recent progress. Ion beam techniques had also developed apace, particularly those based on plasma immersion ion implantation or alternative techniques for large area surface treatment. Finally, the use of ion beams for the direct treatment of cancerous tissue was a particularly novel and interesting application of ion beams.

The practical properties of many materials are dominated by surface and near-surface composition and structure. An understanding of how the surface region affects material properties starts with an understanding of the elemental composition of that region. Since the most common contaminants are light elements (for example, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen), there is a clear need for an analytic probe that simultaneously and quantitatively records elemental profiles of all light elements. Energy recoil detection using high-energy heavy ions is unique in its ability to provide quantitative profiles of light and medium mass elements. As such this method holds great promise for the study of a variety of problems in a wide range of fields. While energy recoil detection is one of the newest and most promising ion beam analytic techniques, it is also the oldest in terms of when it was first described. Before discussing recent developments in this field, perhaps it is worth reviewing the early days of this century when the first energy recoil detection experiments were reported.

Comprehensive guide to an important materials science technique for students and researchers.