ABSTRACT
Ion implantation has been used for many years to improve the adhesion of thin films to their substrates (e.g. [1-8]). The research reported here focuses on the role that the ion species, implanted at the interface, plays in the adhesion enhancement of a metal-ceramic system. Small amounts of impurities at interfaces have been found to affect the adhesion of many systems [9-11]. For example, Hondros [9] showed that some elements, present at the interface between a metal and a ceramic, could lower the interfacial energy and thereby increase the work of adhesion. This possible adhesion mechanism, however, has not been fully utilized in ion implantation experiments. In this project, chromium, iron, or nickel ions were implanted at the interface of an
iron film-sapphire substrate system. This system was chosen because an interfacial Cr impurity was found to enhance the adhesion of an Fe-Al203 system while Ni had the opposites effect [9]. The implantation of Fe ions produces defects but exhibits no chemical effect.
