Ion bombardment of materials containing alkali metals of alkaline earths

Experiments show that argon ion bombardment of many substances results in the chemical sensitization of the irradiated surface. As a consequence, subsequent exposure to atmospheric water vapor causes evolution of hydrogen, and in certain cases leads to severe surface corrosion. The effect occurs on targets containing elements from the first and second column of the periodic table, and therefore includes some widely used electro-optical materials. A mechanism is proposed to explain the observed phenomena, and the possibility of ion polishing sensitive materials is discussed.