Spectroscopic investigations of plasma nitriding processes: A comparative study using steel and carbon as active screen materials

Low-pressure pulsed DC H-2-N-2 plasmas were investigated in the laboratory active screen plasma nitriding monitoring reactor, PLANIMOR, to compare the usage of two different active screen electrodes: (i) a steel screen with the additional usage of CH4 as carbon containing precursor in the feeding gas and (ii) a carbon screen without the usage of any additional gaseous carbon precursor. Applying the quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy, the evolution of the concentration of four stable molecular species, NH3, HCN, CH4, and C2H2, has been monitored. The concentrations were found to be in a range of 10(12)-10(16) molecules cm(-3). By analyzing the development of the molecular concentrations at variations of the screen plasma power, a similar behavior of the monitored reaction products has been found for both screen materials, with NH3 and HCN as the main reaction products. When using the carbon screen, the concentration of HCN and C2H2 was 30 and 70 times higher, respectively, compared to the usage of the steel screen with an admixture of 1% CH4. Considering the concentration of the three detected hydrocarbon reaction products, a combustion rate of the carbon screen of up to 69 mg h(-1) has been found. The applied optical emission spectroscopy enabled the determination of the rotational temperature of the N-2(+) ion which has been in a range of 650-900K increasing with the power in a similar way in the plasma of both screens. Also with power the ionic component of nitrogen molecules, represented by the N-2(+) (0-0) band of the first negative system, as well as the CN (0-0) band of the violet system increase strongly in relation to the intensity of the neutral nitrogen component, i.e., the N-2 (0-0) band of the second positive system. In addition, steel samples have been treated with both the steel and the carbon screen resulting in a formation of a compound layer of up to 10 wt.% nitrogen and 10 wt.% carbon, respectively, depending on the screen material. Published by AIP Publishing.