PLASMA IMMERSION ION IMPLANTER FOR THE MODIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL AEROSPACE COMPONENTS

1　IntroductionPlasmaimmersionionimplantation (PIII) ,initiallydevelopedbyConradetalin 1 987,hase mergedasaviablealternativetoconventionalbeam lineionimplantationformetallurgicalappli cationsduetoitsconformalimplantationcapabili ty ,highthroughput,andcost effectiveness1～ 6] .Asaresult,muchprogresshasbeenmadeinPIIIhardwareandunderstandingofplasmaphysicsper tainingtoindustrialapplications7～ 10 ] .Inspiteofpromisingresults,thethintreatedlayer,complex ityofthePIIIprocess ,anddifficultyofi…

PLASMA IMMERSION ION IMPLANTER FOR THE MODIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL AEROSPACE COMPONENTS

A commercial plasma immersion ion implanter has been designed and constructed to enhance the surface properties of parts and components used in aerospace applications. The implanter consists of a vacuum chamber, pumping and gas inlet system, custom sample chuek, four sets of hot-filaments, three-filtered vacuum arc plasma sources, special high voltage modulator, as well as monitoring and control systems. Special attention has been paid to improve the uniformity of plasma in the chamber. The power modulator operates in both the pulse bunching and single pulse modes. The maximum pulse voltage output is 80kV, maximum pulse current is 60A, and repetition frequency is 50 ～ 500Hz. The target chuck has been specially designed for uniform implantation into multiple aerospace components with irregular geometries as well as effective sample cooling. An in situ temperature monitoring device comprising dual thermocouples has been developed. The instrument was installed in an aerospace company and has been operating reliably for a year. In addition to reporting some of the hardware innovations, data on the improvement of the lifetime of an aircraft hydraulic pump disk using a dual nitrogen treatment process 60 ～ 70kV & (1 - 6) × 1017 cm-2; 30 ～ 45kV & (1 - 4) × 1017cm-2] are presented. This treatment protocol has been adopted as a standard production procedure in the factory.