Structural and magnetic characterization of nanocrystalline Ni-20%Fe permalloy films

Samples of nanocrystalline Ni-20%Fe permalloy, obtained by electrodeposition, were studied using an X-ray diffraction technique and magnetic force microscopy. After deposition, the alloy exhibited strong fiber texture with the major component being [1 0 0] and a lesser contribution from [1 1 1]. An increase in deposition current density led to a reduction in the strength of the [1 0 0] texture. Despite the small magnitude of the magnetic interaction, images of magnetic domains were obtained using magnetic force microscopy. The images were, however, unstable and changed significantly with the scanning time. Annealing of the permalloy above 573 K caused rapid grain growth and a transformation of the [1 0 0] fiber to [1 1 1] fiber. Numerical analysis of the texture data was conducted to assess the atomic structure of grain boundaries in the as-deposited and annealed states.