MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES AND STRUCTURE IN CO-BASED NITRIDE THIN-FILMS

The high temperature stability of magnetic softness in Co-based nitride films originates from crystalline structure with very small dimension confirmed by small angle X-ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectroscopy, though only halos are observed in normal X-ray diffraction experiment. By structure transformation from amorphous to small crystallite magnetostriction changes rapidly and magnetic moment increases. These structure influence magnetic anisotropy induced by field cooling. The anisotropy can not be controlled below 500-degrees-C in the CoZrN films, though by addition of Fe the anisotropy can be controled up to 350-degrees-C. It suggests that this anisotropy originates from hcp-like atomic stacking order in the fcc Co crystallite.