The Effect of Sputtering Parameters and Doping of Copper on Surface Free Energy and Magnetic Properties of Iron and Iron Nitride Nano Thin Films on Polymer Substrate

Abstract

The objective of this study was to deposit thin films on PET polymer substrate and examine the functional properties systematically. Their properties have been studied as a function of the N2-Ar flow rates, deposition time span and Cu doping. Iron nitride film deposited on both sides exhibits ferromagnetic phases, γ′-Fe4N and ε-Fe3N co-existed, shows negligible magnetic anisotropy. Other samples show the evolution of N-rich (FeN, Fe2N) and N-poor (Fe16N2, Fe3N, Fe4N) phases under different deposition time conditions. XPS analysis and free energy calculations confirmed that co-sputtered Fe-Cu thin films are more stable than layer deposited counterparts. From VSM results it is evident that the dominant phase, changes steadily from the ferromagnetic α-Fe (N) to the paramagnetic ξ-Fe2N with the increase of nitrogen flow rates and the ordering of the nitrogen atoms. Binding energy increases steadily from 733 eV to 740 eV with the increasing thickness of thin films from 74 nm to 94 nm. It was observed that surface energy decreases as the contact angle of glycol increases and changes the thin film surface from polar to nonpolar. TEM images indicate that cubic γ′-Fe4N and ε-Fe3N nano particles oriented in preferred directions dispersed uniformly in the amorphous iron nitride matrix.

Effect of Target Composition and Sputtering Deposition Parameters on the Functional Properties of Nitrogenized Ag-Permalloy Flexible Thin Films Deposited on Polymer Substrates

“…The in-plane static magnetic properties of thin films were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer equipped with MicroSense easy VSM software 9.13wa in magnetic fields up to 2.1 T. ThermoScientific ESCALAB 250x (Thermofisher, Stockholm, Sweden), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the chemical binding of atoms and composition. Monochromatic source of Al Kα radiation with energy resolution of 0.5 eV and voltage approaching to 1500 eV was applied [ 9 , 10 ]. Argon ion (Ar + ) sputtering was used to clean the thin films surface from contamination and oxides.…”

“…Surface free energy at ambient temperature of thin films was measured by contact angle measurements; details are given elsewhere [ 9 ]. Scanning electron microscope (JSM-7610F, JEOL, Beijing, China) was used to examine the surface morphology and elemental analysis by using aperture angle control lens, which automatically optimizes the spot size at both high and low currents.…”

“…The evolution from traditional coatings to flexible thin films are making substantial scientific and viable impact by aiding the emergence of, flexible displays [ 1 ], flexible thin film transistors [ 2 ], flexible and thin film solar cells [ 3 , 4 ], flexible smart textiles [ 5 ], flexile ferroelectric random access memories [ 6 ], magneto impedance sensors [ 7 ], and flexible photovoltaics [ 8 ]. High quality flexible thin films are typically achieved by depositing Inorganic materials, such as metals, functional metals, and nitrides, deposited onto polymer substrates via direct current (DC)/radio frequency (RF) plasma sputtering [ 9 , 10 ], co-sputtering [ 11 ], and spin coating [ 12 ].…”

Natural fiber-based composites with high hydrophobic, magnetic, and EMI shielding properties via iron oxide in situ synthesis and copper film deposition

“…500 nm) on top of micropapillae (10 μm to 18 μm) formed by the interwoven fibers could be one reason for the increase in hydrophobicity. In addition, the decrease in the surface free energy, i.e., 50 mJ m -2 for the cellulosic substrates and 18 mJ m -2 for the copper film, could also contribute to the improvement of hydrophobic property (Mohammed-Ziegler et al 2004;Khan et al 2017). The thermal stability was studied via TGA (Fig.…”

Effect of oxygen plasma treatment and gold sputtering on morphological and local mechanical properties of copolyimide/gold micropatterned structures

“…This has stimulated scientists to provide alternatives for enhancement of interface compatibility of such materials in terms of adhesion strength and long‐term stability under distinct environment conditions. The interfacial features can be modulated through several factors, including the surface morphology and surface free energies of contacting materials and experimental deposition conditions . Moreover, the surface morphological features of the polymer determine the interactions at the organic‐inorganic interface and implicitly the behavior of the layered system .…”