Method for modifying the structure and elemental composition of the solid surface during a high-voltage vacuum discharge

A new method for modifying the surface of a solid, which makes it possible to change effectively the structure and elemental composition of the surface with a high precision, is developed and tested experimentally. The method is based on the action of the plasma of a pulsed high-voltage vacuum discharge, the ion beam from the plasma, and the electron beam on a solid target. The emission and plasma parameters are observed in a pulsed electric field produced in the diode system to which a pulsed voltage with an amplitude of ～10³–10⁵ V and a duration from 10^?9 to 10^?5 s is applied.