Patent ID: 7592037

Claim:
A fuel cell separator, comprising: a base material formed of titanium; and a nitride compound layer comprising titanium and nitrogen and provided on a surface of the base material, wherein the nitride compound layer includes a titanium nitride phase within a range of a depth of 20 nm from a surface that is on a side contacting an electrode, and the titanium nitride phase is formed of a crystal structure where a nitrogen atom enters a gap position of an octahedron in a face-centered cubic lattice of titanium, wherein in a range of a depth of 5 nm from a surface of the nitride compound layer, this surface contacting an electrode, an amount of nitrogen is 30 atom % or more, and an amount of oxygen is 30 atom % or less, and wherein in a range of a depth of 10 nm from a surface of the nitride compound layer, this surface contacting an electrode, a content of nitrogen is equal to or more than a content of oxygen.