Nitriding of stainless steel in plasma of a pulse electron beam

The formation of a hardened layer with low-temperature (400$^\circ$C)nitriding of grade 12Kh18N10T stainless steel in plasma of a pulse electron beam which is generated under continuous and pulse conditions at equal average current (2.6 A) and electron energy (200 eV) is studied. In spite of intense ion sputtering of the surface during the pulse, both nitriding conditions yielded equal quantities of thickness and hardness of the layer, which indicated that neutral atomic nitrogen plays a main role during nitriding.