In many cases, when a surface is to be treated with a laser process, the surface must be properly prepared and thoroughly cleaned. In addition, only a portion of the energy which is carried by the laser beam is often absorbed into the surface of the material. This is because that many surfaces, particularly metal surfaces tend to reflect a significant portion of the laser light delivered to the surface. As such, the benefits afforded by laser surface treatment may not extend past a very thin layer of the surface. In many situations, the problems associated with laser surface treatment processes can result in a surface treatment which is less than ideal.
Ions are molecules that have been stripped of their electrons.
Consequently, the ions are charge positively and can easily be accelerated in an electric field. As the ions pass through the electric field, their velocity is increased significantly. The combination of the high velocity of the ions and their finite mass causes energy to be carried to the surface which is to be treated. Using ions to carry energy to a surface has several distinct advantages as compared to when a laser beam is used. First, the footprint of the ion beam is large compared to that of a typical laser beam.