Conversion electron Moessbauer spectroscopic studies on ion implanted iron layers

Conversion electron Moessbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) is a method very suitable for studying ion implanted iron and iron alloys. Using this technique not the 14.4-keV-gamma-rays as in the case of the conventional Moessbauer transmission experiments but the conversion and Auger electrons are detected. These electrons have a maximum energy of 7.3 keV. The Moessbauer signal can be obtained from a surface layer of about 300 nm. But the main fraction of the signal, namely 65%, comes from the first 50 nm. This range is just interesting for ion implantation. Depending on the test conditions iron nitrides are formed by the nitrogen implantation and the phoshorus implantation can result in both amorphization and compound formation in the implanted layer. (author)