Texture, strain and alloying in sputtered granular magnetic films

An extensive characterization of the microstructure of a large variety of CoFe-Ag(Cu) and CoFeCu granular alloys prepared by r.f. sputtering is presented. The resulting microstructure is described in terms of the ferromagnetic concentration, from the low concentration limit (x similar to 0.10 by volume) to values near the volume percolation threshold (x(th) = 0.50-0.55). The influence of the annealing procedure on the sample texture, particle size, crystal structure and strains, substrate-film stress and CoFe dilution in the matrix, among others, is also studied. This work is relevant to the complex magnetic and magnetotransport properties of granular alloys and their subtle and crucial dependence on the microstructure. (C) 1999 Acta Metallurgica Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.