INFLUENCE OF THE ELECTRODEPOSITION POTENTIAL ON THE Co-Cu ALLOYS THIN FILMS PROPERTIES

Abstract

Co-Cu alloy thin films were electrodeposited on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated conducting glass substrate from a sulfate solution at applied potentials ranging from -0.7 V to -1.3 V versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE). Voltammetric studies showed that the composition and, consequently, the potential dissolution of Co depend greatly on the applied potentials. The compositional measurement, which was made using an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), demonstrated that the Co content of the films considerably increases as the applied potentials to tend toward negative values. The SEM study showed that a granular structure of the electrodeposited Co-Cu . X-ray diffraction measurements showed that all peaks of the Co-Cu films were consistent with those of a typical Co hcp and Co -fcc mixed phase and Cu -fcc phase at low potential. The increase of the applied potential induces a decrease in the grain size and the lattice constant. The magnetic hysteresis measurements carried out by an alternating gradient force magnetometer (AGFM) revealed the existence of a ferromagnetic behavior with an in-plane easy magnetization axis for the film deposited at -1.1 V versus SCE. However, for applied potentials of -1.2 V and -1.3 V, we observe the coexistence of a dominant in-plane easy magnetization along with a perpendicular one.