A method for Neutral Beam irradiation derived from gas cluster ion beams and articles produced thereby including optical elements.

A method of treating a surface of a silicon substrate forms an accelerated gas cluster ion beam of carbon atoms, promotes fragmentation and/or dissociation of gas cluster ions in the beam, removes charged particles from the beam to form a neutral beam, and treats a portion of a surface of the silicon substrate by irradiating it with the neutral beam. A silicon substrate surface layer of SiC.sub.X (0.05<X<3) formed by accelerated and focused Neutral Beam irradiation of a silicon substrate wherein the Neutral Beam is derived from a gas cluster ion beam which has had its cluster ions dissociated and charged particles removed.

A bone implantable medical device made from a biocompatible material, preferably comprising titania or zirconia, has at least a portion of its surface modified to facilitate improved integration with bone. The implantable device may incorporate a surface infused with osteoinductive agent and/or may incorporate holes loaded with a therapeutic agent. The infused surface and/or the holes may be patterned to determine the distribution of and amount of osteoinductive agent and/or therapeutic agent incorporated. The rate of release or elation profile of the therapeutic agent may be controlled. Methods for producing such a bone implantable medical device are also disclosed and employ the use of accelerated Neutral Beam irradiation, wherein the Neutral Beam is derived from an accelerated gas cluster ion beam irradiation for improving bone integration.

A method of processing a trench, via, hole, recess, void, or other feature that extends a depth into a substrate to a base or bottom and has an opening by irradiation with an accelerated neutral beam derived from an accelerated gas cluster ion beam for processing materials at the base or bottom of the opening.

A method of processing a trench, via, hole, recess, void, or other feature that extends a depth into a substrate to a base or bottom and has an opening with high aspect ratio (into depth from opening to base or bottom divided by minimum space of the trench therebetween) by irradiation with an accelerated neutral beam derived from an accelerated gas cluster ion beam for processing materials at the base or bottom of the opening.

A method for shallow etching a substrate surface forms a shallow modified substrate layer overlying unmodified substrate using an accelerated neutral beam and etches the modified layer, stopping at the unmodified substrate beneath, producing controlled shallow etched substrate surfaces.

A medical device for surgical implantation adapted to serve as a drug delivery system has one or more drug loaded holes with barrier layers to control release or elution of the drug from the holes or to control inward diffusion of fluids into the holes. The barrier layers are non-polymers and are formed from the drug material itself by beam processing. The holes may be in patterns to spatially control drug delivery. Flexible options permit combinations of drugs, variable drug dose per hole, multiple drugs per hole, temporal control of drug release sequence and profile. Methods for forming such a drug delivery system are also disclosed. Gas cluster ion beam and/or accelerated Neutral Beam derived from an accelerated gas cluster ion beam may be employed.

An apparatus and method for processing a workpiece with a beam is described. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a beam-line for forming a particle beam and treating a workpiece with the particle beam, and a scanner for translating the workpiece through the particle beam. The apparatus further includes a scanner control circuit coupled to the scanner, and configured to control a scan property of the scanner, and a beam control circuit coupled to at least one beam-line component, and configured to control the beam flux of the particle beam according to a duty cycle for switching between at least two different states during processing.

A device such as a medical device and a method for making same provides a surface modified by beam irradiation, such as a gas cluster ion beams or a neutral beam, to inhibit or delay attachment or activation or clotting of platelets.

An apparatus and method provided a drug layer formed on a surface region of a medical device, the drug layer comprised of a drug deposition and a carbonized or densified layer formed from the drug deposition by irradiation on an outer surface of the drug deposition, wherein the carbonized or densified layer does not penetrate through the drug deposition and is adapted to release drug from the drug deposition at a predetermined rate.