The structure and properties of sputter-deposited Co-Si alloy thin films
The structural and magnetic properties of Co sub 1-x Si sub x alloy thin films in the composition range 0 < x < 0.9 are investigated. The sputter-deposited thin films show a single phase hcp structure up to X approx = 0.25. For Si compositions beyond this, but with x < 0.6, electron diffrac...
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Published in | Journal of physics. Condensed matter Vol. 12; no. 17; pp. 4075 - 4089 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Bristol
IOP Publishing
01.05.2000
Institute of Physics |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The structural and magnetic properties of Co sub 1-x Si sub x alloy thin films in the composition range 0 < x < 0.9 are investigated. The sputter-deposited thin films show a single phase hcp structure up to X approx = 0.25. For Si compositions beyond this, but with x < 0.6, electron diffraction implies a single amorphous phase with features in the diffraction patterns typical of a dense random packing of hard spheres (DHRPS). These alloys are ferromagnetic. For 0.6 < x < 0.8 additional diffraction maxima are observed that suggest the formation of at least two amorphous phases. Magnetic measurements suggest the presence of thermally unstable magnetic particles. For x > 0.7-0.8, Co atoms are incorporated in the covalent random network structure of Si and paramagnetism is observed. A correlation of the PEELS Co L sub 2 /L sub 3 edge loss intensity ratio with the effective Co moment suggests that the magnetic changes could arise from differing local environments as Si is added, rather than a change in the particle size. Compositional mapping shows that some of the films have a composition that is not spatially uniform. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0953-8984 1361-648X |
DOI: | 10.1088/0953-8984/12/17/313 |