Implantation Temperature Research Articles

Detailed surface analyses and improved mechanical and tribological properties of niobium treated by high temperature nitrogen plasma based ion implantation

Transition metal nitrides, as is the case of NbN, exhibit an attractive mixture of physical, chemical and mechanical properties and can be used to overcome a severe constraint of pure niobium, that is the high oxidation rate for temperature above 400°C. In this work nitrogen ions were implanted into niobium by means of plasma based ion implantation (PBII) and high temperature PBII (HTPBII) in order to produce NbN on the surface of the material. In the case of HTPBII the treatment was performed in the temperature of 1000°C and 1250°C. In the process, negative pulses of 10kV/20μs/500Hz were applied to Nb samples for 1h. The depth of the modified layer reached up to 4.5μm due to the diffusion of nitrogen atoms implanted into the material. X-ray diffraction spectra showed the presence of ɛ-NbN, β-Nb2N and γ-Nb4N3 phases. Wear rate was reduced from 1.5×10−2mm3/Nm up to 2.6×10−6mm3/Nm for treated samples at high temperature in comparison with pristine samples, while friction coefficient was reduced from 0.8 to 0.25. Hardness was significantly increased. Surface topography was measured by optical profilometry. Surface roughness increases with the sample temperature but it remains lower than the one obtained by conventional PBII, very probably due to the heating method, which was performed by electron bombardment.

Cytocompatibility of nitrogen plasma ion immersed medical cobalt–chromium alloys

Wear particles and ion release from medical CoCr contribute to the risk for aseptic loosening. Nitrogen plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) has been shown to reduce wear of CoCr but is associated with increased Co ion release. This work investigated the cytocompatibility of CoCr modified by nitrogen PIII at different temperatures (mCoCr). The osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and mononuclear cells (MNCs) were grown directly on CoCr/mCoCr discs or treated with CoCl2. Proliferation and metabolic activity of Saos-2 and MSC were decreased on mCoCr in correlation with increasing implantation temperature. The elevated Co ion release seemed to play a decisive role since analog effects were observed by treatment of cells with CoCl2. Proliferation of phytohemagglutinin-stimulated MNC was reduced in the presence of CoCr discs or CoCl2. For MNC-alloy cultures we observed an increase in interleukin 2 (IL-2) and a decrease in interferon γ (IFN-γ) and IL-10 secretion compared to cultures without alloys. The results of this study demonstrate that PIII process temperature and corresponding Co ion release correlate with material cytocompatibility. Therefore, the two competing parameters, reduction of wear and increase in Co ions, have to be taken into consideration for the evaluation of the clinical applicability of nitrogen-implanted CoCr.

A Comparative Study of Hydrogen Implantation Induced Blistering and Exfoliation in GaN and AlN

GaN and AlN epitaxial layers were implanted with 100 keV H+ ions at implantation temperatures of RT and 300 °C. The GaN and AlN were H-implanted with fluence of 2.5 ×1017 and 1 ×1017 cm-2, respectively, in order to observe the surface blistering. The morphological investigations revealed that post-implantation annealing resulted in the formation of small size surface blisters with lower exfoliation depth in GaN compared to AlN for the implantation at RT. However, for the implantation at 300 °C, blistering occurred in the as-implanted GaN, whereas large area exfoliation was observed in AlN after annealing. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed formation of narrower damage band in AlN (as compared to GaN) filled with H-induced nanovoids. This comparative study has shown that H-induced damage and depth distribution of the implanted hydrogen was responsible for the nature of surface buckling in H-implanted GaN and AlN.

Real‐time thermographic analysis of low‐density bone during implant placement: a randomized parallel‐group clinical study comparing lateral condensation with bone drilling surgical technique

To compare the effect of two surgical techniques, lateral condensation and bone drilling, on changes in temperature of the adjacent low-density bone during implant placement into posterior maxilla and to investigate the influence of the host factors - age, gender, region of implantation, bone density, and thickness of the cortical bone at the recipient sites. Local bone temperature was measured thermographically during implant placement into posterior maxilla following lateral bone condensing (test group) or bone drilling (controls). The main study outcomes were baseline bone temperature prior to implantation and maximum bone temperature recorded during implantation. Early implant success was evaluated after 6 months of healing. A total of 40 implants were randomly allocated to test and control groups and placed into maxillary premolar and/or molar region of 18 participants of both genders and average age of 51.74 years. All recorded bone temperatures were below the threshold for thermal necrosis. Although both groups showed significant increase in bone temperature during implant placement procedure (P ≤ 0.0005), it was significantly higher for bone condensing compared with drilling (P ≤ 0.0005; 3.79 ± 1.54°C; 1.91 ± 0.70°C respectively). No host factor was singled out as a significant predictor of bone temperature changes, although trend of higher increase was observed in young patients, regardless of gender, during implant placement procedure into maxillary first premolar region with bone density type 3 and cortical layer thicker than 1 mm. Early implant success rate after 6 months follow-up was 100%. Although both surgical techniques, bone condensing and bone drilling, can be considered safe regarding their thermal effect on the bone of posterior maxilla, bone drilling is associated with fewer local bone heating during implantation. Host factors do not affect the bone thermal changes significantly.

Implantation Temperature Effects on the Nanoscale Optical Pattern Fabrication in a-SiC:H Films by Ga+Focused Ion Beams

This work has been supported by the European Community as an Integrating Activity “Support of Public and Industrial Research using Ion Beam Technology (SPIRIT)” under EC contract No. 227012. The support of EC funded project BG051PO001/3.3.-05.001 for this publication is gratefully acknowledged. The Marie Curie Fellowship for T. Tsvetkova was also supported by the European Community under the contract PIEF-GA-2009-251845. The help of D. Dimova-Malinovska and O. Angelov with the samples preparation and useful discussions is also gratefully acknowledged.

Effects of implantation temperature and thermal annealing on the Ga+ ion beam induced optical contrast formation in a-SiC:H

The effects of implantation temperature and post-implantation thermal annealing on the Ga+ ion beam induced optical contrast formation in hydrogenated silicon–carbon alloy films have been studied. As a result of the implantation a well-expressed “darkening” effect (i.e. absorption edge shift to the longer-wavelength/lower-photon-energy region) has been registered. It is accompanied by a remarkable increase of the absorption coefficient up to 2 orders of magnitude in the measured photon energy range (1.5–3.1eV). The optical contrast thus obtained (between implanted and unimplanted regions of the film material) has been made use of in the form of optical pattern formation by computer-operated Ga+-focused ion beam. Possible applications of this effect in the area of submicron lithography and high-density optical data storage have been suggested with regard to the most widely spread focused micro-beam systems based on Ga+ liquid metal ion sources. The fact that Ga has a very low melting point (Tm=29.8°C) and an unusual feature of volume contraction on melting are factors which favour Ga incorporation upon ion-implantation as dispersed clusters, or small nanoparticles. It has been previously noted that Ga precipitation into nanoparticles can vary dramatically (in terms of particle size) with Ga concentration and small changes in surface implant temperature, thus affecting the optical properties of the target. The precise role of implantation temperature effects, i.e. the target temperature during Ga+ ion irradiation, on the optical contrast obtainable, has been therefore a key part of this study. Appropriate post-implantation annealing treatments were also studied, since these are expected to offer further benefits in reducing the required ion dose and enhancing contrast, thus increasing the cost-effectiveness of the bit-writing method.

Temperature dependent defects evolution and hardening of tungsten induced by 200 keV He-ions

Tungsten has been selected as one of the potential candidate materials to cover some parts of the divertor in the future International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The accumulation of defects and He induced by neutron irradiation and their impact on the mechanical properties of tungsten are of very importance. In this work, the high pure polycrystalline tungsten samples were implanted by 200keV He+ with a fluence of 5×1016He+/cm2 at temperatures of room temperature (RT), 200, 400 and 800°C. Vacancy-type defects were detected in all implanted samples by means of positron annihilation spectroscopy. Vacancy-type defects produced by He implantation exist in the damaged layer and are decorated by He atoms. At higher implantation temperature, He–V complexes could grow larger through absorbing mobile vacancies. The nano-hardness values were measured by nano-indentation technique. It is observed that implantation hardening occurred for all the implanted samples. With increasing implantation temperature from 200°C to 800°C, the change of the average hardness values which are lower than the value at RT has a tendency of enhancement for the shallower layer and degradation for the deeper layer. The hardness variations are discussed to be the pinning effects of the defects with different density or size.

Study of deuterium retention in/release from ITER-relevant Be-containing mixed material layers implanted at elevated temperatures

Abstract D implantation into Be-containing mixed material layers: Be, Be–W (W: ∼6 at.%) and Be–C (C: ∼50 at.%), was performed at elevated temperatures. The temperature dependence of D retention varied depending on the admixed element. D retention in Be and Be–W layers decreases with increasing implantation temperature, while the Be–C layers maintained rather high D retention in the present investigated temperature range (up to 623 K). D desorption behaviour from Be–C suggests the contribution of C–D bonds to D retention. W admixture into Be can significantly suppress D retention in Be. Long-term isothermal annealing at 513 and 623 K for D removal was also performed to simulate the ITER-wall-baking scenario. Even extended annealing at temperatures comparable to or lower than the implantation temperature does not lead to a significant release of retained D.

1.5 Tおよび3.0 T-MRI検査における歯科用チタン(Ti)製インプラントのRF発熱に関する検討─人体等価ファントムを用いた温度測定─

Titanium (Ti) implants are increasingly being used for dental parts. There is no problem with the attraction of a static magnetic field for Ti in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), since Ti is paramagnetic. However, there is a risk of radio frequency (RF) heat generation within Ti. 3.0 T-MRI scanners are becoming increasingly common. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of 3.0 T-MRI is quadruple that of SAR compared with 1.5 T-MRI due to its being proportional to the square of the strength of a static magnetic field. The effect of heat generation in 3.0 T-MRI can thus be greater than in 1.5 T-MRI. So, using 1.5 T and 3.0 T-MRI scanners, we measured the temperature of several Ti implants using the same scanning parameters during MRI scanning. Our measurements showed the rise in temperature of the Ti implants to be a maximum of 0.4 degrees C. In this study, however, Ti in a human mouth was not directly measured, so we need to attempt to perform MRI carefully on patients with Ti implants.

Thermal effects on the Ga+ ion beam induced structural modification of a-SiC:H

The effects of implantation temperature and post-implantation thermal annealing on the Ga+ ion beam induced optical contrast formation in hydrogenated silicon-carbon alloy (a-SiC:H) films and underlying structural modifications have been studied. The optical contrast formed (between implanted and unimplanted regions of the film material) has been made use of in the form of optical pattern formation by computer-operated Ga+-focused ion beam. Possible applications of this effect in the area of submicron lithography and high-density optical data storage have been suggested with regard to the most widely spread focused micro-beam systems based on Ga+ liquid metal ion sources. The implanted samples were structurally analysed using vibrational spectroscopies, like Raman and infra-red (IR) spectroscopy, to define optimum implantation conditions. The precise role of implantation temperature effects, i.e. the target temperature during Ga+ ion irradiation, on the structural modification obtainable has been therefore a key part of this study. Appropriate post-implantation annealing treatments were also studied, since these are expected to offer further benefits in reducing the required ion dose and enhancing the optical contrast, thus increasing the cost-effectiveness of the method.

Effect of implantation temperature on the blistering behavior of hydrogen implanted GaN

GaN epitaxial layers were implanted by 100 keV H+ ions at different implantation temperatures (LN2, RT and 300 °C) with a fluence of 2.5×1017 cm−2. The implanted samples were characterized using Nomarski optical microscopy, AFM, XRD, and TEM. Topographical investigations of the implanted surface revealed the formation of surface blistering in the as-implanted samples at 300 °C and after annealing at higher temperature for the implantation at LN2 and RT. The physical dimensions of the surface blisters/craters were dependent on the implantation temperature. XRD showed the dependence of damage-induced stress on the implantation temperature with higher stress for the implantation at 300 °C. TEM investigations revealed the formation of a damage band in all the cases. The damage band was filled with large area microcracks for the implantation at 300 °C, which were responsible for the as-implanted surface blistering.

Photoluminescence and structural studies of Tb and Eu implanted at high temperatures into SiO2 films

The present work deals with the photoluminescence (PL) emitted from Eu and Tb ions implanted at room temperature (RT) up to 350°C in a SiO2 matrix, followed by a further anneal process. The ions were implanted with energy of 100keV and a fluence of 3×1015ions/cm². Further anneals were performed in atmospheres of N2 or O2 with temperatures ranging from 500 up to 800°C. PL measurements were performed at RT and structural measurements were done via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, the Rutherford backscattering technique (RBS) was used to investigate the corresponding ion depth profiles. For Tb, the optimal implantation temperature was 200°C, and the anneal one was of 500°C. Under these conditions, the PL yield of the sharp band centered at 550nm was significatively higher than the one obtained with RT implants. The PL spectra corresponding to the Eu ions show two bands, one narrow centered around 650nm and a second broad one in the blue–green region. The implantation temperature plays a small influence on the PL shape and yield. However, the annealing atmosphere has a strong influence on it. Samples annealed in N2 present a broad PL band, ranging from 370 up to 840nm. On the other hand, the O2 anneal conserves the original as-implanted spectrum, that is: a broad PL band in the blue–green region together with sharp PL band in the red one. For both ions, Tb and Eu, the TEM analyses indicate the formation of nanoclusters in the hot as-implanted samples.

Thermodynamic effects of laser irradiation of implants placed in bone: an in vitro study

Lasers have been proposed for various applications involving dental implants, including uncovering implants and treating peri-implantitis. However, the effect of laser irradiation on the implant surface temperature is only partially known. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the effect of irradiation with diode, carbon dioxide, and Er:YAG lasers on the surface temperature of dental implants placed in bone, in vitro. For this study, one dental implant was placed in a bovine rib. A trephine bur was used to create a circumferential defect to simulate peri-implantitis, and thermocouples were placed at the coronal and apical aspect of the implant. The implant was irradiated for 60 s using four different lasers independently and change in temperature as well as time to reach a 10 °C increase in temperature were recorded. There was wide variability in results among the lasers and settings. Time for a 10 °C increase ranged from 0.9 to over 60 s for the coronal thermocouple and from 18 to over 60 s for the apical thermocouple. Maximum temperature ranged from 5.9 to 70.9 °C coronally and from 1.4 to 23.4 °C apically. During laser irradiation of dental implants, a surface temperature increase beyond the "critical threshold" of 10 °C can be reached after only 18 s.

Temperature field reconstruction for minimally invasive cryosurgery with application to wireless implantable temperature sensors and/or medical imaging

There is an undisputed need for temperature-field reconstruction during minimally invasive cryosurgery. The current line of research focuses on developing miniature, wireless, implantable, temperature sensors to enable temperature-field reconstruction in real time. This project combines two parallel efforts: (i) to develop the hardware necessary for implantable sensors, and (ii) to develop mathematical techniques for temperature-field reconstruction in real time—the subject matter of the current study. In particular, this study proposes an approach for temperature-field reconstruction combining data obtained from medical imaging, cryoprobe-embedded sensors, and miniature, wireless, implantable sensors, the development of which is currently underway. This study discusses possible strategies for laying out implantable sensors and approaches for data integration. In particular, prostate cryosurgery is presented as a developmental model and a two-dimensional proof-of-concept is discussed. It is demonstrated that the lethal temperature can be predicted to a significant degree of certainty with implantable sensors and the technique proposed in the current study, a capability that is yet unavailable.

Effect of temperature conditions of ion implantation on percolation ferromagnetism in Ge0.98Mn0.02 thin films

The effect of temperature conditions of ion implantation on the magnetic properties of Ge0.98Mn0.02 thin films has been studied. It has been shown that a decrease in the implantation temperature significantly increases the temperature of percolation magnetic ordering in the subsystem of dispersed Mn2+ ions. It has been demonstrated that the observed effect can be due to suppression of the thermally activated aggregation of Mn2+ ions into Ge3Mn5 clusters and increase in their concentration in the dispersed state.

Temperature dependence of deuterium retention mechanisms in tungsten

The retention of 500eVD+ was measured as a function of implantation temperature in single- (SCW) and poly-crystalline (PCW) tungsten. The results show a decrease in retention of ∼2 orders of magnitude over the temperature range of 350–550K in SCW and a decrease of an order of magnitude over the temperature range of 600–700K in PCW. Inspection of the TDS spectra showed a shift in peak location from 600 to 800K as temperature was increased above 350K in SCW and above 450K in PCW specimens. TMAP modeling showed that the change in peak location corresponds to a change in trapping energy from 1.3eV for the 600K peak to 2.1eV for the 800K peak. It is proposed that for implantations performed above 350K in SCW and 450K in PCW, deuterium-containing vacancies are able to diffuse and combine to create stable nano-bubbles within the crystal lattice. The formation of nano-bubbles due to the annihilation of deuterium-vacancy complexes results in a change in the trapping energy from 1.3 to 2.1eV as well as a decrease in retention as some of the deuterium-vacancy complexes will be destroyed at surfaces or grain boundaries, decreasing the number of trapping sites available.

Implanted bottom gate for epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide

We present a technique to tune the charge density of epitaxial graphene via an electrostatic gate that is buried in the silicon carbide substrate. The result is a device in which graphene remains accessible for further manipulation or investigation. Via nitrogen or phosphor implantation into a silicon carbide wafer and subsequent graphene growth, devices can routinely be fabricated using standard semiconductor technology. We have optimized samples for room temperature as well as for cryogenic temperature operation. Depending on implantation dose and temperature we operate in two gating regimes. In the first, the gating mechanism is similar to a MOSFET, the second is based on a tuned space charge region of the silicon carbide semiconductor. We present a detailed model that describes the two gating regimes and the transition in between.

A Device to Control Implant and Bone-Cement Temperatures in Cemented Arthroplasty

At present, most of the orthopaedic implants used in articular reconstruction are fixed to host bone using acrylic bone-cement. Bone-cement polymerization leads to an exothermic reaction with heat release and consequent temperature rise. The increase of temperature in the bone beyond the tolerated limits can develop osteocyte thermal necrosis and ultimately lead to bone resorption at the cement-bone interface, with subsequent loosening of the implant. Another issue that plays an important role in implant loosening is debonding of the cement from the implant initiated by crack formation at the interfacial voids. It is well established that low porosity enables better fatigue cement properties. Moderate preheating of the implant is expected to reverse the direction of polymerization, and has the ability to reduce interfacial void formation and improve interfacial shear strength. To increase the implant temperature at the initial cementing phase in order to reduce interfacial void formation, and subsequently, cool the implant in the latter cement polymerization phase to prevent the possibility of bone thermal necrosis, a new automated electronic device was designed to be use in cemented joint replacements. The developed device was specifically designed for the knee arthroplasty, namely for tibial-tray cementing. The device controls the heat flux direction between the tibial-tray and the atmosphere through the “Peltier effect,” using Peltier tablets. The device is placed on the tibial-tray during the cementing phase and starts to heat it in a first phase, promoting the polymerization that initiates at the warmer cement-implant interface. In a second phase, the heat flux in the Peltier tablets is inverted to extract the heat generated during cement polymerization. The device efficiency was evaluated by cementing several tibial-trays in bovine fresh bone and measuring the tray and cement temperatures. The temperature results in the implant and in the cement showed that the device increases and maintains the implant temperature above room temperature at the initial cementing phase, while in the subsequent phase it cools the tibial-tray and cement. Significant differences were found for peak cement temperatures between the tests performed with and without the device. The device showed its capacity to promote the beginning of cement polymerization at the implant interface contributing towards improving interfacial shear strength and in reducing the peak cement temperature in the subsequent polymerization process, thus contributing to the prevention of the bone thermal necrosis effect.

Structural and optical properties of Ge nanocrystals obtained by hot ion implantation into SiO2 and further ion irradiation

In this work, SiO2 layers containing Ge nanocrystals (NCs) obtained by the hot implantation approach were submitted to an ion irradiation process with different 2MeV Si+ ion fluences. We have investigated the photoluminescence (PL) behavior and structural properties of the irradiated samples as well as the features of the PL and structural recovery after an additional thermal treatment. We have shown that even with the highest ion bombardment fluence employed (2×1015Si/cm2) there is a residual PL emission (12% from the original) and survival of some Ge NCs is still observed by transmission electron microscopy analysis. Even though the final PL and mean diameter of the nanoparticles under ion irradiation are independent of the implantation temperature or annealing time, the PL and structural recovery of the ion-bombarded samples have a memory effect. We have also observed that the lower the ion bombardment fluence, the less efficient is the PL recovery. We have explained such behavior based on current literature data.

On Fabrication of High Concentration Mn Doped Si by Ion Implantation: Problem and Challenge

Abstract The ion implantation process of Mn doped Si is examined with particular attention on the role of implantation temperature, implantation induced amorphisation and implantation damaged Si lattice recovery. It seems likely that Mn prefers to accumulate around the surface of Si nanometer scale crystals. Further work on reducing Mn segregation is proposed.