A novel technique, was developed to implant gaseous ions into the surface of metallic objects with arbitrary geometry. A system presenting a pulsed ECR plasma and a constant voltage of the target has the advantage of monoenergetic implantation. Depth distribution and chemical interactions were investigated by AES and XPS. Surface microstructure and friction forces on the nanometric scales were evaluated by AFM. We found that the depth of implantation can be controlled by the sample position relative to the extraction grid, which may have benefits for certain applications. The evolution of the implantation indicates that, at room temperature, the chemical reactions involved lead to sub-stoichiometricor composite products. In the nitriding case, an increase in microroughness and a reduction of local friction forces on the nanometric scale were found.
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