Cosegregation of tungsten and nitrogen on Fe-9%W-N(100)

Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) have been used to study the cosegregation of tungsten and nitrogen on ferritic Fe-9%W-N(100) single crystals with nitrogen contents ranging from c_N = 11 to 51 wt-ppm. Cosegregation occurs at temperatures T≲600°C depending on the nitrogen content. The thickness of the cosegregated surface layer is estimated by means of Ar⁺ ion depth profiling as being less than two atomic layers. The LEED pattern of the tungsten and nitrogen covered Fe-9%W-51ppmN(100) substrate shows a sharp (1 × 1) structure at a low background intensity indicating epitaxial stabilization of the cosegregated tungsten nitride layer on the bcc (100) surface. The tungsten and nitrogen covered Fe-9%W-11ppmN(100) substrate exhibits a c(2 × 2) structure. On Fe-9%W-51ppmN(100) a temperature-driven phase transition between the cosegregated (1 × 1) and c(2 × 2) surface phases is observed.