In-plane magnetic anisotropy in RF sputtered Fe-N thin films

We have fabricated Fe(N) thin films with varied N-2 partial pressure and studied the microstructure, morphology, magnetic properties and resistivity by using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating-sample magnetometer and angle-resolved M-H hysteresis Loop tracer and standard four-point probe method. In the presence of low N-2 partial pressure, Fe(N) films showed a basic bcc alpha-Fe structure with a preferred (110) texture. A variation of in-plane magnetic anisotropy of the Fe(N) films was observed with the changing of N component. The evolution of in-plane anisotropy in the films was attributed to the directional order mechanism. Nitrogen atoms play an important role in refining the alpha-Fe grains and inducing uniaxial anisotropy. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.