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Microstructural investigation of iron nitride layers formed by low-temperature gaseous nitriding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

D. K. Inia ,
A. M. Vredenberg ,
D. O. Boerma ,
F. D. Tichelaar ,
H. Schut  and
A. van Veen
D. K. Inia
Affiliation:
Section Interface Physics, Debye Institute, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
A. M. Vredenberg*
Affiliation:
Section Interface Physics, Debye Institute, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
D. O. Boerma
Affiliation:
Section Interface Physics, Debye Institute, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands and Department of Nuclear Solid State Physics, Materials Science Center, Groningen University, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
F. D. Tichelaar
Affiliation:
National Center for HREM, Laboratory of Materials Science, Delft University of Technology, Rotterdamseweg 137, 2628 AL Delft, The Netherlands
H. Schut
Affiliation:
Interfaculty Reactor Institute, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft, The Netherlands
A. van Veen
Affiliation:
Interfaculty Reactor Institute, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft, The Netherlands
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: A.M.Vredenberg@phys.uu.nl
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Abstract

Iron nitride layers were formed by a novel low-temperature gaseous nitriding process. Nitriding occurs at a temperature of 325 °C through NH3 decomposition at the surface of Ni (25 nm) coated Fe, followed by N transport through the Ni film into the underlying Fe, where nitride precipitation takes place. The role of Ni is to protect Fe from oxidation by gas impurities and to serve as a catalyst for NH3 decomposition. The precipitation behavior and the development of microstructure were studied by means of elastic recoil detection, cross-sectional transmission electron diffraction (XTEM), and positron annihilation (PA). From PA and XTEM no evidence was found for the occurrence of porosity during nitriding (an effect found at higher temperatures due to the decomposition of the nitrides into Fe and N2). XTEM showed that the original columnar α–Fe grains transform into smaller ′–Fe4N grains which subsequently transform into larger ε–Fe3−xN grains. This microstructural evolution of smaller ′ grains forming in the original columnar α–Fe structure occurs in one of two growth modes of the nitride in the Fe layer, i.e., throughout the entire depth range of the Fe layer, or preferentially at the Ni/Fe interface when an iron oxide layer is present at this interface.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 14 , Issue 6 , June 1999 , pp. 2674 - 2679
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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References

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