Process and device for surface-modification by physico-chemical reactions of gases or vapors on surfaces, using highly-charged ions

In a process for surface modification by physico-chemical reactions, said process comprising the steps of:

• (a) contacting a solid surface having a crystalline or amorphous structure with a reactive, gaseous fluid which is to interact with the surface;
• and
• (b) supplying activating energy to both said fluid and said surface by means of ions or plasmas, in order to trigger reactions between said fluid and said surface,
• the improvement comprising providing an activating energy in the form of an electronic potential energy of ions having a charge of q.gtoreq.2 with a low kinetic energy, or by streams of plasmas, which contain a high proportion of an arithmetically averaged charge state .SIGMA.q.multidot..function.(g)=qm .gtoreq.2, where .function.(g) is a fraction of particles in charge state q=0,1,2, . . . , with said low kinetic energy, wherein said low kinetic energy is below about 100.multidot.q eV and determined to meet a condition that said ions are allowed to closely approach atoms of said surface, but not to penetrate said surface.