SURFACE TREATMENT APPARATUS AND SURFACE TREATMENT METHOD

To provide a surface treatment apparatus and a surface treatment method that can obtain a treated object having a thicker hard layer when hardening a metal surface through an oxidation treatment.SOLUTION: A surface treatment apparatus 10 comprises: a chamber 12 in which a work W is housed; a first gas supply mechanism 14 which supplies oxidizable gas into the chamber 12; a vacuum evacuation mechanism 18 which discharges the gas in the chamber 12 through vacuum evacuation; and a controller 20 which controls the first gas supply mechanism 14 and vacuum evacuation mechanism 18 so that while a pressure reduced state is produced in the chamber 12 to keep the temperature within a management range, pulsed supply of the oxidizable gas and pulsed vacuum evacuation of the chamber 12 are repeated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】酸化処理を通じて金属表面を硬質化させる際、硬質層の厚みがより増した被処理物を取得可能な表面処理装置及び表面処理方法を提供する。【解決手段】表面処理装置１０は、ワークＷが収容されるチャンバ１２と、チャンバ１２内に酸化性ガスを供給する第一ガス供給機構１４と、チャンバ１２内の気体を真空排気により排出する真空排気機構１８と、チャンバ１２内を減圧状態にして温度を管理範囲内に保ちながら、酸化性ガスのパルス状の供給及びチャンバ１２内のパルス状の真空排気を繰り返すように、第一ガス供給機構１４及び真空排気機構１８の制御を行うコントローラ２０と、を備える。【選択図】図１