Modification of stainless steel by low-energy focused nitrogen ion beam

Abstract

The results of experiments on the modification of SUS 321 stainless steel by a nitrogen ion beam extracted from a gas plasma of the non-self-sustained arc discharge with hot cathode PINK are presented. Extraction and focusing of the beam was carried out through a grid electrode of the definite curvature. When negative electric pulsed bias is applied to the grid electrode and a specimen located under the same potential, a ballistically focused nitrogen ion beam is formed. As a result of the processing, a nitride layer is formed on the surface of stainless steel with an increased hardness compared to the initial one.