Beyond analysis, SAFIR also makes it possible to modify a material by implanting ions at a controlled depth and fluence, for example to dope a semiconductor or to study the effect of irradiation.
Unlike ion beam analysis techniques (RBS, ERDA, NRA, PIXE, MEIS), implantation uses the beam to introduce ions into the sample rather than to analyse it. The incident ions penetrate the target and come to rest at a depth that depends on their energy and mass, locally modifying the composition, structure or properties of the material.
Technical characteristics
- Available ions: protons, deuterons, alpha particles, singly charged
- Energy range: 0.1 to 2.2 MeV
- Beam current: up to 1-2 µA for a singly charged beam 2 mm in diameter at MeV-range energies; lower current below 1 MeV
- Fluence range: from 10¹¹ to 10¹⁸ particles/cm², depending on irradiation time
Advantages
- Precise control of fluence and of implantation depth via the energy
- Wide range of implantable species (H, D, He)
- No fundamental fluence limit, only a matter of beam time
Limitations
- Lower beam current below 1 MeV, hence longer irradiation times to reach the same fluence
Typical applications on SAFIR
- Semiconductor doping
- Studies of irradiation effects on materials
- Synthesis of buried nanostructures
- Modification of surface properties
Complementarity with other techniques
A sample implanted on SAFIR can then be analysed on the same platform by RBS, NRA or ERDA.
Reference publication
A. Neyret, D. Mastrippolito, B. Xia, E. Briand et al., “Infrared nanocrystals for space application: hardness to irradiations”, Advanced Functional Materials, 2026. DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202524191