System and process implementing a wide ribbon beam ion source to implant ions in material to modify material properties

A treatment system that is configured to provide a vacuum environment such that an ion source may be operated and product may be transported within the vacuum environment with the ion source and attendant process comprising at least two of the following features:

• a ribbon beam ion source such that the ion source provides energetic ions to bombard or implant into a product to modify a surface region of the product;
• a temperature control system that comprises a heatsink configured to control a temperature of the product during ion bombardment by the ribbon beam ion source;
• a gas cushion system configured to provide a gas cushion to the product such that the gas cushion promotes heat transfer from the product to the heatsink;
• a product movement system configured to move the product through the treatment system past the ribbon beam ion source;
• a mounting system for the ribbon ion source allowing a distance from the source to the product to be configured and the angle between the source and the product to be configured to provide distance from source to product of two to twenty inches and to provide an incident angle of the ion beam to the product to be chosen as between thirty degrees and ninety degrees;
• and
• a system controller configured to control at least one the following:
• the gas cushion system, the ribbon beam ion source, the temperature control system, the heatsink, and the product movement system.