DEPTH PROFILES OF CARBON, NITROGEN AND OXYGEN ON CARBON-COATED STEEL SURFACES MADE BY ION-BEAM-ASSISTED DEPOSITION

The application of Bragg-curve spectroscopy to elastic recoil detectio n analysis (ERDA) of carbon layers deposited onto steel surfaces by io n beam assisted deposition is described. ERDA is used for simultaneous depth profiling of the light elements carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. Ty pical results are good selectivity of the atomic charge number Z up to 20 with a depth resolution on the order of 5-10 nm and submonolayer s ensitivity. The low background in the operative region allows the anal ysis of profiles down to concentrations of about 0.01% of the stoichio metric concentrations. The depth profiling results of differently prod uced carbon layers are shown in correlation with the measured wear res istance and the technological parameters of the ion beam assisted depo sition process.