SURFACE MICROANALYSIS OF ION IMPLANTED STEELS

ALTHOUGH INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS ARE STILL LIMITED, SURFACE MODIFICATION OF METALS BY ION IMPLANTATION HAS BEEN SHOWN TOIMPROVE WEAR RESISTANCE AND FATIGUE LIFE AND REDUCE FRICTIONFEATURES WHICH CAN LEAD TO IMPROVED MANUFACTURING PRODUCTIVITY, PRODUCT QUALITY AND REDUCED DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTED STRATEGIC MATERIALS. WE PROPOSE IN PHASE I A PILOT STUDY TO EVALUATE THE USE OF STATE-OF-THE-ART SURFACE MICROANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES TO ADVANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ION IMPLANTATION PROCESS AND THE PROPERTIES OF ION IMPLANTED (OR "ION TREATED") MATERIALS. IF THIS PILOT STUDY LEADS TO USEFUL INFORMATION ON THE SAMPLE SET CHOSEN A PHASE II RESEARCH PROGRAM WOULD BE PROPOSED TO BROADEN THE APPROACH, INCLUDE MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNIQUES SUCH AS TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY AND TO DEVELOP NEW AND IMPROVED PROCESSES AND EQUIPMENT FOR PREPARING ION TREATED SURFACES OF METALS. ONLY BY A CAREFUL STUDY OF THE PROCESSES INVOLVED, THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEAR SURFACE REGION AND THE INSTRUMENTATION NECESSARY, CAN THE POTENTIALSOF ION IMPLANTATION BE BROUGHT TO MATURITY IN AN EFFICIENT TIMELY FASHION.