A spinoff of the ion thruster is the broad-beam ion implanter. It utilizes the
same basic hardware as the thruster but the ion beam, instead of being used to
produce thrust, is directed onto the surfaces of various mechanical engineering
components in vacuum chambers. The resulting treatment of these surfaces can
increase their resistance to wear and corrosion, as well as reduce the friction
between surfaces in components such as bearings.
Laboratory facilities include both gaseous and metallic ion implanters which
produce ion beams with energies that range from 1 to 100 keV and beam current
densities that are as high as 5 mA/cm2. Tribological test facilities include a rolling
contact fatigue tester, a block-on-ring wear and friction tester and pin-on-disc wear
and friction testers that can be operated over a wide range of temperatures and in
controlled environments. These environments may involve for example, an atomic
oxygen atmosphere that is representative of space and lubricated, ambient-air
environments.
Research is aimed at defining and optimizing broad-beam ion implanters for
rapid and, therefore, low cost processing of a wide range of materials (metals,
ceramics and polymers). The present focus is on the production of boron-, nitrogen-
and carbon-implanted layers on steel surfaces that are both thick and wear resistant.
For more information on the ion implantation and ion beam processing that has occurred in this lab see the following papers
The picture on the left is the accelerator grids to the high voltage gas implanter.
The picture on the right is of a plasma beam impinging on a graphite plate.