Structural and soft-magnetic properties of Fe/CoNbZr and Fe/FeCrB multilayers

Journal Article · Sat Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · J. Appl. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.343550· OSTI ID:6099356

Dirne, F W. A.; Tolboom, J A. M.; de Wit, H J; Witmer, C H. M.

The magnetic and structural properties of ion-beam-sputtered Fe/FeCrB and Fe/CoNbZr multilayers were studied as a function of the FeCrB and CoNbZr layer thicknesses. Good soft-magnetic properties (coercivity /lt/60 A/m and permeability /gt/1000) are obtained only when Fe grains are small, which requires, on the one hand, multilayers with Fe layer thicknesses below 10 nm and, on the other hand, FeCrB interlayers with thicknesses above 1 nm or CoNbZr interlayers with thicknesses above 3 nm. In this case interlayers are amorphous, which induces repeated nucleation of Fe grains. Only at FeCrB thicknesses of 1 nm are the interlayers crystalline due to interface mixing. This in contrast to CoNbZr interlayers which in addition grow epitaxially in a crystalline structure up to thicknesses of 3 nm. When interlayers are crystalline columnar growth of Fe results. As a consequence coercivity increases and permeability decreases.

• Research Organization: Philips Research Laboratories, P.O. Box 80.000, 5600 JA Eindhoven, The Netherlands(NL)
• OSTI ID: 6099356
• Journal Information: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 66:2; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360104* -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
ALLOYS
AMORPHOUS STATE
BEAMS
BORON ALLOYS
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
COBALT ALLOYS
ELEMENTS
EPITAXY
GRANULAR MATERIALS
ION BEAMS
IRON
IRON ALLOYS
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
MAGNETIZATION
MATERIALS
METALS
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SPUTTERING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS