IBAD GROWING OF MAGNETIC IRON NITRIDE THIN-FILMS

We report here on the magnetic properties and composition characteristics of iron nitride thin films prepared by the ion assisted deposition (IBAD) method. The structure and comPosition of the Fe(x)N films were assessed by CEMS, RBS and XRD, while the magnetic properties were verified using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). By exploring the different deposition parameters involved in the IBAD method it was possible to prepare films containing mainly the alpha''-Fe16N2 phase which could be shown to be responsible for the high saturation magnetization, high squareness and low coercivity of the films. The alpha''-Fe16N2 phase is usually described in the literature as a metastable phase or a quasi-solid solution of nitrogen in iron. Similar magnetic characteristics of iron nitride thin films deposited by reactive sputtering were observed in multilayered structures of the Fe/Fe(x)N type, which will also be described here for comparison.