Molybdenum implantation of stainless steel in the near surface layer: structural and chemical exploration

Mo⁺ at 49 keV was implanted on a 316LVM stainless steel in order to modify the first layer within 30 nm. Doses from 1.10¹⁵ to 35.10¹⁵ ion/cm² were explored. GIXD showed that implanted Mo first substituted Fe in the austenitic lattice, then formed a new structure and finally amorphised the layer. TRIM calculation and RBS estimation were in good agreement on implanted doses and Mo depth profiles. XPS permitted the identification of the chemical species. The passive layer was modified by Mo implantation. Indeed, about half of Cr oxide was replaced by Mo oxide