Modifications by rare gas bombardment of aluminium nitride formed by direct implantation

It is well known that nitrogen implantation into aluminium increases the hardness of the aluminium surface owing to the formation of crystalline aluminium nitride. In order to enhance the thickness of the aluminium nitride formed during nitrogen implantation in pure aluminium, the samples were implanted with N ions successively at different energies between 100 and 320 keV. The implanted specimens were investigated by nuclear reaction analysis, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Post-irradiations with Kr ions at doses of 1 × 10 ions cm and an energy of 500 keV were performed, and it was shown that the krypton ion bombardment redistributed the implanted nitrogen; so a more homogenous aluminium nitride layer was formed. © 1989.