Interface of a titanium film ion plated on stainless steel

Abstract Interfaces of titanium films (100 nm) formed by vacuum deposition and by ion plating onto austenitic stainless steels (type 304 stainless steel) were investigated using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Although AES depth profiles showed that ion plating produced a much deeper graded interface area than vacuum deposition, AES images of Ti proved that the AES depth profile of the ion-plated film was significantly influenced by preferential sputtering. Electron channelling patterns showed that the grains of the substrate whereTi remained during Ar ion sputtering have orientations close to the (110) of the λ-Fe structure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation showed an interface layer several nanometres thick on a (31 1 ) plane of type 304 stainless steel.