Investigation of accelerated neutral atom beams created from gas cluster ion beams

A new concept for ultra-shallow processing of surfaces known as accelerated neutral atom beam (ANAB) technique employs conversion of energetic gas cluster ions produced by the gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) method into intense collimated beams of coincident neutral gas atoms having controllable average energies from less than 10 eV per atom to beyond 100 eV per atom. A beam of accelerated gas cluster ions is first produced as is usual in GCIB, but conditions within the source ionizer and extraction regions are adjusted such that immediately after ionization and acceleration the clusters undergo collisions with non-ionized gas atoms. Energy transfer during these collisions causes the energetic cluster ions to release many of their constituent atoms. An electrostatic deflector is then used to eliminate charged species, leaving the released neutral atoms to still travel collectively at the same velocities they had as bonded components of their parent clusters. Upon target impact, the accelerated neutral atom beams produce effects similar to those normally associated with GCIB, but to shallower depths, with less surface damage and with superior subsurface interfaces. The paper discusses generation and characterization of the accelerated neutral atom beams, describes interactions of the beams with target surfaces, and presents examples of ongoing work on applications for biomedical devices.