Research on physico-chemical bases of the ion nitriding process control with the use of plasma spectroscopic diagnostics

The results of the research which concerns assigning correlation between pa rameters of the glow discharge plasma, observed by spectroscopic methods, a nd kinetics of the nitriding process and the nitrided layer structure are p resented in the paper. Research on the plasma parameters was carried out fo r two processes of the ion nitriding enabling creation of two basic structu res of the nitrided layer: containing exclusively the diffusion zone alpha- Fe(N) and containing both, the diffusion zone alpha-Fe(N) and the compounds zone epsilon + gamma'. Mass spectra of the gas atmosphere and emission spe ctra of plasma generated in the near-surface area were recorded at the succ eeding stages of processes creating both the above mentioned nitrided layer 's structures. On the basis of the obtained results active plasma component s, decisive for formation of individual structures of the nitrided layer, w ere assigned. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.