Study of ion-nitriding

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Abstract
A study of ion nitriding has been conducted in a nitrogen-hydrogen-argon gas mixture with emphasis on the mechanism and the active plasma ingredients which cause nitriding. The study is based on mass and energy data of ions sampled through a 4-mil hole in the cathode, metallurgical data, and gas-absorption data. The results of the experiment demonstrate that ion nitriding is not a gas-absorption process. Ion nitriding requires ionic bombardment. Nitrogen ions and nitrogen-hydrogen molecular ions are the active plasma ingredients. Nitrogen-hydrogen molecular ions are responsible for the superior nitriding properties produced by a nitrogen-hydrogen plasma compared to the properties produced by a nitrogen or nitrogen-noble gas mixture.