Physico-chemical and tribomechanical properties of silicon surfaces could be improved using ion implantation to modify surface structure and composition. In this work we implanted c:Si wafers with different fluences (up to 2x10¹⁷ cm^-2) of carbon, silicon and iron. The implanted surfaces were studied with ion beam techniques (RBS/channeling), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and wettability tests.

After implantation the surfaces became more hidrophobic (higher contact angles) for all the implanted species. The hidrophilicity is reduced with the increase of the fluence. The tribological properties are intrinsically related with the new structures formed after implantation. Friction and hardness are reduced, except for the samples implanted with 2x10¹⁷ C⁺/cm² of carbon. After annealing at 550 ^oC and 800 ^oC the samples implanted with iron became less hydrophilic while the carbon implanted samples increased the hydrophilic behavior. The samples implanted with silicon recover its hydrophilic nature after annealing. The samples implanted with iron reveal the formation of Fe₂Si grains, which form a continuous smooth layer for the highest fluence. Carbon samples show a different behavior whether the implanted fluence amorphize the implanted region or not. The channeling spectra of the samples implanted with fluencies above 5x10¹⁶ C⁺/cm² do not show epitaxial recrystalization of the implanted region, which could indicate the formation of stable carbides during the annealing. Our results open new routes for the applications of ion beams to the micro-nano mechanical Si systems where surface play a key role.