General information on the passage of ions through matter

The eight figures and two tables that follow describe the basic principles underlying the passage of ions through matter.

When energetic positive ions (protons, deuterons, helions-3 or helions-4 of around 1 MeV) bombard a solid, they cause excitations and ionizations from the surface and all along their trajectory in the volume. Secondary radiation is then produced: electrons, ions, photons and atoms (figure 1 ).

As they travel, these ions are slowed down and can settle inside the solid (figure