Patent ID: 8530859

Claim:
A method for sterilizing a workpiece comprising the steps of: providing a chamber having an interior and a workpiece holder; initially sterilizing the workpiece holder and the interior of the chamber; loading a workpiece onto the workpiece holder to be held thereby; forming a first accelerated gas-cluster ion-beam; directing the first accelerated gas-cluster ion-beam onto the workpiece; first processing the workpiece by irradiating at least a first portion of the surface of the workpiece with the first accelerated gas-cluster ion-beam; discontinuing first processing when the at least a first portion of the surface of the workpiece has received a predetermined dose; forming a second accelerated gas-cluster ion-beam; directing the second accelerated gas-cluster ion-beam onto the workpiece; second processing the workpiece by irradiating at least a second portion of the surface of the workpiece with the second accelerated gas-cluster ion-beam; discontinuing second processing when the at least a second portion of the surface of the workpiece has received a predetermined dose; unloading the workpiece from the workpiece holder and removing it from the chamber; and wherein either of the first processing step or the second processing step is a sterilizing step.