Ion-solid interaction: Status and perspectives

The past half century has seen an explosive growth of the discipline that is characterized by the deposition of localized high energy densities in solid matter, by means of energetic ions produced e.g. in particle accelerators. First the fundamentals of Ion-Solid Interaction are outlined. A brief overview is given about the basic energy transfer mechanisms and the consequences of ion impact into solids, such as scattering, sputtering and radiation damage. The latter gives rise to numerous changes in the material's physical and chemical properties, part of which has proven to be detrimental, and part of which is beneficial for technological applications. Though meanwhile a good general understanding of this discipline has been obtained, there are still plenty of lacks of details in our knowledge. Some representative examples are given. As a conclusion of all these points, one may say that, in spite of its age, Ion-Solid Interaction is still a challenging scientifical field, and it still offers lots of promising applications.