DCEMS Study of Thin Oxide Layers and Interface of Stainless Steel Films Deposited by Sputtering Austenitic AISI304

Abstract

Thin stainless steel films were deposited on surface oxidized Si plate using austenitic AISI304 stainless steel as target with a RF magnetron Ar sputtering method. The deposited films and the oxidized films with about 15 nm in thickness were characterized by depth selective conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy (DCEMS) using a 2π gas proportional counter. The as-deposited film consisted of ferromagnetic phase. The average hyperfine magnetic fields increased from 25 to 28 T by heating. A relative large amount of iron oxide (Fe2O3) was produced on the top surface layer upon heating at 400°C. After heating at 500°C the relative amount of iron oxide decreased and chromium oxide layers grew in the interface between the iron oxide and substrate layers. The ferromagnetic phase in the deposited stainless steel film was partially converted into austenitic phase at 500°C and largely at 600°C. DCEMS is effective for non-destructive characterization of both surface and interface layers of thin stainless steel films with several 10 nm thickness.