E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
- Automotive manufacturing
- Machine tools
- Medical tool manufacturing
- Surface modification
ADVANTAGES:
- Can treat irregularly shaped objects
- Highly controllable process
- RF-generated plasma cleaner than other systems
ABSTRACT:
Ka-Ngo Leung at Berkeley Lab has invented an apparatus for implanting ions in irregularly shaped large conducting objects. One configuration uses a new Radio Frequency (RF) induction plasma generation system. Berkeley National Laboratory's RF induction plasma system is clean and produces no cathode materials like tungsten that could lead to low-level implanted impurities. The implant ion dose rate is easily controlled, so the target won't overheat. Fine detail on the target is retained because voltage breakdown conditions are controlled. This broadly applicable new technology is expected to reduce surface wear and corrosion in automobile engines, harden medical tools, and reduce corrosion in many implanted objects.
STATUS: U.S. Patent #5,558,718. Available for licensing
REFERENCE NUMBER: IB-952
