Structural, chemical and magnetic characterization of iron nitride thin films

Abstract

AbstractIron nitride thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates at 150 °C using a dual ion beam sputtering system. The structure, chemical composition and magnetic properties of the films were studied as a function of the deposition conditions. The bombardment with N2+ ions during the deposition of Fe by sputtering enabled control of the nitrogen content in the films and the formation of different iron nitride phases with different magnetic properties.The chemical, electronic and structural characterization of the films were performed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), AES‐depth profiling, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD), whereas the magnetic behavior was studied using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM).The results show that the magnetic moment of the Fe atoms decreases and the coercivity of the films increases almost linearly as the nitrogen content in the films increases up to the formation of ζ‐Fe2N, which is not magnetic. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.