NITROGEN PLASMA SOURCE ION-IMPLANTATION OF AISI S1 TOOL STEEL

Significant economic savings can be achieved by improving the wear lifetime of precision manufacturing tools through nitrogen-ion implantation. This near-ambient temperature, surface modification process preserves dimensional integrity and surface finish while eliminating delamination problems that are often associated with overlay coatings. Conventional ion implantation is a line-of-sight process which requires elaborate manipulation and masking to uniformly implant components of complex shapes. A recently developed process, plasma source ion implantation (PSII). circumvents this line-of-sight restriction and makes ion implantation more attractive economically. In this article. the effects of PSII of nitrogen at a target bias of 50 kV, to a dose of 0.3 X 10(18) atoms/cm2 on the surface microstructure and mechanical properties of AISI S1 tool steel are presented.