A comprehensive nitriding study by low energy ion beam implantation on stainless steel

In this paper we report nitriding studies of stainless steel 316 using a broad ion beam source. Experiments performed by changing the ion energy (0.2-1.5 KeV), ion current density (1.4-5.7 mA/cm(2)) and implantation times (1 and 8 h) at a temperature around 380 degreesC are reported. The microstructure and morphology are studied by glancing angle X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. For constant ion energy, higher nitrogen ion flux increases the hardness. At higher ion energies the sputtering process prevents the formation of a thick-nitrated layer, even for longer implantation times. The results are examined in the light of recent studies on physical models for ion implantation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.