Growth rate effects in soft CoFe films

Abstract

We report on growth rate effects in sputter-deposited CoFe films prepared using high target utilization sputtering technology (HiTUS). We find that the grain structure of these polycrystalline films is closely related to the growth rate. By changing the growth rate, samples were prepared with different grain structure, which in turn had the effect of changing the magnetic properties of the films. We demonstrate control of the coercivity, which varied by a factor of more than ten. This was achieved via grain size control in CoFe films of thickness 20 nm. Furthermore, by employing a two-step sputtering process, in which two extreme growth rates are used sequentially, we were able to tune the saturation magnetization.Index Terms-Control of and in CoFe films, grain size effects, high moment soft CoFe films, high target utilization sputtering technology (HiTUS).

Evidence of substrate roughness surface induced magnetic anisotropy in Ni80Fe20 flexible thin films

“…A highly influential control mechanism of magnetism in thin films is also the actual process of thin film coating, together with the choice of deposition parameters. In the case of magnetic thin films fabricated via plasma sputtering, it has been shown that the deposition rates [25,26], substrate temperature, bias voltage, plasma power, base pressure and process gas pressure have a significant effect on the final magnetic thin film's properties. The list of controllable parameters of magnetic thin films is further complicated when one attempts to deposit flexible magnetic thin films.…”