*** 96-61626 Kirkpatrick This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will investigate the use of gas cluster ion beams to produce surface modification effects which have not previously been possible by any existing ion beam or direct energy beam method. Cluster ions have large total energy and very high mass and momentum in combination with low energy per individual atom. Impact of a gas cluster ion upon a solid surface involves a number of exceptional effects including generation of high momentary temperature pressure transients within an extremely shallow surface region at the impact site. It is believed that conditions can be produced within a graphite surface by means of gas cluster ion bombardment at room temperature which will cause tranformation of the graphite surface to diamond. The capability to produce carbon-to-diamond transformations will form the basis of a procedure for room temperature deposition of diamond coatings onto surfaces of virtually any material. Transient processing by gas cluster ions will become the basis for a low temperature method for growth of diamond coatings onto virtually any material. ***
