MAGNETIC AND STRUCTURAL-PROPERTIES OF IRON NITRIDE THIN-FILMS OBTAINED BY ARGON-NITROGEN REACTIVE RADIOFREQUENCY SPUTTERING

We have prepared iron nitride thin films by reactive rf sputtering of an iron target in an argon-nitrogen plasma. The films present a wide variety of structures and compositions: α expanded bcc iron, amorphous Fe 1-x-Nx, γ'-Fe4N, ε-Fe 2-3N, and ζ-Fe2N. Evolutions of the crystallographic structures and of the magnetic properties of the obtained phases are discussed versus the nitrogen concentration in the gaseous flow and the substrate temperature during deposition. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.