High Coercivity Fe-Cr-Co Thin Films by Vacuum Evaporation

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Abstract
Fe-30Cr-xCo (x=5-30 in 5 wt% intervals) thin films were prepared by vacuum thermal evaporation onto a Si(100) wafer. Isothermal annealing, step aging and continuous cooling were used to anneal the evaporated films, respectively. It was found that isothermal annealing at 620°C followed by continuous cooling to 520°C at a rate of 25°C/h led to optimum films with an intrinsic coercivity (iHc) of up to 740 Oe and residual magnetization (Mr) of up to 780 emu/cm3 for the 50 to 100-nm-thick Fe-30Cr-30Co films. Transmission electron microscopy studies showed that spinodal decomposition occurs during annealing. The shape anisotropy induced by the spinodal structure was found to contribute to the high iHc. The microstructure and magnetic properties of the films were found to be similar to the corresponding bulk materials. The Fe-Cr-Co films were found to be potential candidate materials for magnetic recording.

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