Ion-implanted electroformed structural material and method of producing the structural material

Abstract

An ion-implanted electroformed structural material is made of an electroformed body formed by electroforming and has an ion-implanted layer formed by implanting ions into the electroformed body. In the electroformed structural material, the microstructure is modulated at a position deeper than the ion-implanted layer, and the hardness becomes higher than that of the original electroformed body even at a position deeper than the ion-implanted layer.

1 . An ion-implanted electroformed structural material made of an electroformed body formed by electroforming, the ion-implanted electroformed structural material having an ion-implanted layer formed by implanting ions into the electroformed body.  
     
     
         2 . An ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 1 , wherein: 
 (1) the ion-implanted layer is formed in a surface portion ranging from the surface of the ion-implanted electroformed structural material to a depth of at most 5 μm; and    (2) the microstructure of the ion-implanted electroformed structural material is modulated at a position deeper than the ion-implanted layer.    
     
     
         3 . An ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 2 , wherein the microstructure is modulated at a cross-sectional center position, deep in the interior from the surface.  
     
     
         4 . An ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 2 , wherein the portion at which the microstructure is modulated has an average crystal-grain diameter of at most 0.5 μm.  
     
     
         5 . An ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 2 , wherein the portion at which the microstructure is modulated has a hardness higher than that of the electroformed body formed by electroforming.  
     
     
         6 . An ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 1 , wherein the electroformed body formed by electroforming has an average crystal-grain diameter of at most 1 μm.  
     
     
         7 . A method of producing an ion-implanted electroformed structural material, the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) forming an electroformed body; and    (b) implanting accelerated ions into the electroformed body.    
     
     
         8 . A method of producing an ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 7 , wherein in the step of forming an electroformed body, the electroformed body is formed such that it has an average crystal-grain diameter of at most 1 μm.  
     
     
         9 . A method of producing an ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 7 , wherein in the step of forming an electroformed body, a pulse-shaped voltage is applied.  
     
     
         10 . A method of producing an ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 7 , wherein in the step of implanting ions into the electroformed body, the ions are implanted in a region ranging from the surface to a depth of at most 5 μm to increase the hardness of a portion deeper than the region.  
     
     
         11 . A method of producing an ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 7 , wherein in the step of implanting ions into the electroformed body, the ions are implanted in a region ranging from the surface to a depth of at most 5 μm to modulate the structure of a portion deeper than the region.  
     
     
         12 . A method of producing an ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 7 , wherein in the step of implanting ions into the electroformed body, the temperature of the electroformed body is maintained at at most one-third the melting point (expressed in K) of the material that forms the electroformed body.  
     
     
         13 . A method of producing an ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 7 , wherein in the step of implanting ions into the electroformed body, the ions are accelerated at a voltage of at least 10 kV.  
     
     
         14 . A method of producing an ion-implanted electroformed structural material as defined by  claim 7 , wherein in the step of implanting ions into the electroformed body, an omnidirectional plasma ion-implanting unit is used.