Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction for analysis of structural transformations in steel surfaces induced by multiple ion implantation

The Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXD) allows the determination of the in-depth distribution of various crystalline phases, which compose the surface of a solid, by varying the penetration depth with X-ray incidence angle. Surface transformations of stainless steel have been investigated with this technique, in the case of single- and multi-elements ionic implantation, in order to understand the coupled effects of silicium and nitrogen at microstructural level and in electrochemical behaviour. Interests and limits of laboratory GIXD technique are presented.