Device and method for ion acceleration

An apparatus for altering a substrate surface which comprises:

• a housing formed with an enclosed chamber, said chamber having a first end and a second end and defining a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, said substrate surface being positioned in said chamber near said second end thereof;
• a set of elongated conductors, said conductors being juxtaposed and mounted in said chamber substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, with each said conductor carrying a current to establish a magnetic field (B) in said chamber;
• a first set of casings surrounding a respective said conductor with alternating voltages being applied thereon to induce an electron flow in said magnetic field to generate a plasma having a plurality of ions;
• and
• a second set of casings surrounding respective said conductors, with each of said second set of casings being electrically insulated from a respective casing of said first set of casings, said second set of casings establishing an electric field (E) with the electric field being crossed with the magnetic field (E×B) to uniformly accelerate said ions in a direction substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis from said first end toward said second end of said chamber to impact said substrate surface.

A method for altering a substrate surface which comprises the steps of:

• providing a housing formed with an enclosed chamber, said chamber having a first end and a second end and defining a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, said substrate surface being positioned in said chamber near said second end thereof;
• mounting a set of elongated conductors in said chamber, said conductors being juxtaposed substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis, with each said conductor carrying a current to establish a magnetic field (B) in said chamber;
• surrounding each respective said conductor with a first casing and alternating voltages applied thereon to induce an electron flow in said magnetic field to generate a plasma having a plurality of ions;
• and
• surrounding each respective said conductor with a second casing, said second casings being electrically insulated from a respective first casing to establish an electric field (E), with the electric field being crossed with the magnetic field (E×B) to accelerate said ions in a direction substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis from said first end toward said second end of said chamber to impact said substrate surface.