Microstructural characterisation of carbon implanted austenitic stainless steel

Low carbon (316L) austenitic stainless steel has been implanted with carbon ions with a fluence of 5 × 1017 C ions/cm2 using an ion energy of 75 keV. The effect of carbon ion implantation on the microstructure of the austenitic steel has been examined in cross-section using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) both before and after implantation, and the implantation data correlated with a computer based simulation, TRIM (Transport and Range of Ions in Matter). It has been found that the high-fluence carbon ion implantation modified the microstructure of the steel, as demonstrated by the presence of two amorphous layers separated by a layer of expanded austenite.