Characterization of oxide films generated on stainless steel in water vapor and oxygen plasmas

The plasma oxidation of stainless steel was studied using plasmas of water vapor and oxygen. The films generated on the stainless steel were analyzed by a range of surface analysis methods such as SIMS, XRD, Raman, and AES, and the structure and composition of oxide films were determined. The oxide films generated in water vapor plasma and oxygen plasma were found to have different structures, attributable to the high oxidative property of water vapor plasma in comparison to oxygen plasma.