Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T02:15:17.575Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Microstructures and Soft Magnetic Properties of High Saturation Magnetization Fe-Co-N alloy Thin Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2011

N. X. Sun
Affiliation:
Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-4045, USA
S. X. Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Material Sciences and Engineering, Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-4045, USA
Chin-Ya Hung
Affiliation:
Read-Rite Corporation, 44100 Osgood Road, Fremont, CA 94539
Chester X. Chien
Affiliation:
Read-Rite Corporation, 44100 Osgood Road, Fremont, CA 94539
Hua-Ching Tong
Affiliation:
Read-Rite Corporation, 44100 Osgood Road, Fremont, CA 94539
Get access

Abstract

High saturation magnetization soft magnetic materials are required for future high-density recording heads as well as high frequency inductors. In this work, (Fe0.7Co0.3)1−xNx (or in short FeCoN) alloy films were synthesized with a high saturation magnetization of 24.5 kG, a hard axis coercivity of 5 Oe, an easy axis coercivity of 18 Oe, and a resistivity of 55 μΩcm. The FeCoN film sandwiched between two permalloy layers (5 nm) shows very good magnetic softness, a low hard axis coercivity of 0.6 Oe, an easy axis coercivity of 7.8 Oe, an excellent in-plane uniaxial anisotropy with an anisotropy of about 20 Oe, an initial permeability of 1000, and a roll-off frequency of 1.5 GHz. In order to understand the effect of the permalloy layers on the FeCoN layer, we fabricated four film structures: single layer FeCoN film; FeCoN film sandwiched between two permalloy layers on both sides; FeCoN film with one permalloy layer as the underlayer; and FeCoN film with one permalloy layer as caplayer. All these film structures were both magnetically and structurally characterized and compared. Structural characterization shows that there is no significant difference in the grain size of the FeCoN single layer and the FeCoN layer sandwiched between two permalloy layers. The four film structures have almost the same amount of compressive stress, about −300 MPa; and their saturation magnetostriction constants are also very close, in the range of 39.6×10−6 to 44.3×10−6. Difference in the crystallographic textures was observed in the pole figures for the FeCoN single layer and FeCoN film with permalloy underlayer.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCE

1. Borzorth, Richard M., Ferromagnetism, (IEEE press, 1993).10.1109/9780470544624Google Scholar
2. Herzer, G., J. Appl. Phys., 26, 1397 (1990).Google Scholar
3. Hosono, Akihiko and Shimada, Y., J. Appl. Phys., 67, 6981 (1990).10.1063/1.345043Google Scholar
4. Cullity, B. D., Introduction to magnetic materials, (Addison-Wesley, 1972).Google Scholar
5. Kryder, M. H., Wang, S. X., and Rook, K., J. Appl. Phys. 73, 6212 (1993).10.1063/1.352702Google Scholar
6. Viala, B., Minor, M. K., and Bernard, J. A., J. Appl. Phys. 80, 3941 (1996).10.1063/1.363352Google Scholar
7. Jin, S., Zhu, W., Tiefel, T. H., Korenivski, V., and Dover, R. B. van, Chen, L. H., J. Appl. Phys. 81, 4042 (1997).10.1063/1.364872Google Scholar
8. Ono, H., Ishida, M., Fujinaga, M., Shishido, H., and Inaba, H., J. Appl. Phys. 74, 5124 (1993).10.1063/1.354299Google Scholar
9. Yun, E. J., Win, W., and Walser, R. M., IEEE Trans. Mag., 32, 4535 (1996).10.1109/20.538922Google Scholar
10. Kuo, P. C., Chang, S. S., and Kuo, C. M., Yao, Y. D., and Huang, H. L., J. Appl. Phys. 83, 6643 (1998).10.1063/1.367930Google Scholar
11. Yabukami, S., Yamaguchi, M., Arai, K. I., Watanabe, M., Itagaki, A., Ando, H., J. Appl. Phys., 85, 5148 (1999).10.1063/1.369106Google Scholar
12. Nix, W. D., Metall. Trans. A, 20A, 2217 (1989).10.1007/BF02666659Google Scholar
13. Tam, A. C. and Schroeder, H., IEEE Trans. Magn., 25, 2629 (1989).10.1109/20.24502Google Scholar
14. Clow, H., Nature, 194, 1035 (1962).10.1038/1941035a0Google Scholar
15. Wang, S. X., Sun, N. X., Yamaguchi, M. and Yabukami, S., (in print), Nature (2000).Google Scholar