Modern technology depends on materials with precisely controlled properties. Ion beams are a favored method – and in integrated circuit technology, the prime method – to achieve controlled modification of surface and near-surface regions. In every integrated circuit production line, for example, there are ion implantation systems. In addition to integrated circuit technology, ion beams are used to modify the mechanical, tribological, and chemical properties of metal, intermetallic, and ceramic materials without altering their bulk properties. Ion–solid interactions are the foundation that underlies the broad application of ion beams to the modification of materials. This textbook is designed to cover the fundamentals and applications of ion–solid interactions.

When we planned to offer an ‘ion implantation’ course at Arizona State University, we were unable to find a suitable textbook. Instead, we developed our own lecture notes, which form the basis of this book. Although intended as a textbook, we believe, on the basis of our own working experience in the field, that it will be a useful reference to professionals who have an interest in ion–solid interactions.

This text is aimed at undergraduate seniors and graduate students interested in electronic devices, surface engineering, reactor and nuclear engineering, and material science issues associated with metastable phase synthesis. The original course was offered by the Department of Materials Engineering. Approximately half of the students came from electrical engineering or disciplines other than materials engineering. Their backgrounds and training varied.