ABSTRACT
Ion beam machining takes place in a vacuum chamber, with charged atoms (ions) fired from an ion source towards a target (the workpiece) by means of an accelerating voltage. Ion beam machining (IBM) is associated with the “sputtering” phenome non first reported by Grove in 1852 (see Carter and Colligon [1]). While investigating the electrical conductivity of gasses, Grove discovered that metallic substances had become depos ited on the glass walls of the glow discharge tube that he was using. He inferred that metal atoms had been removed from the surfaces of the electrode, and subsequently had adhered to the walls of the glass tube. Later the mechanism underlying
Grove’s finding was established as the ejection of atoms from a surface when it is bombarded by other ions.
