1. Context

Ion implantation is a materials engineering process. Implanted ions can change the target's chemical properties, as well as its structural properties. Indeed, the crystalline structure of the target can be partially disordered, or even destroyed, during the process.

Theoretically, it is possible to introduce any element into any material, even if it is not chemically compatible, and the solubility limits, determined under the usual conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium, can be exceeded. So, fundamentally, this is a process "out of thermodynamic equilibrium".

Implantation...