MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES AND CRYSTAL-STRUCTURE OF HIGH MOMENT FETAN MATERIALS FOR THIN-FILM RECORDING-HEADS

High-power density, high growth rate dc magnetron reactive sputtering has been used to grow single-layer FeTaN films. Ta has been found effective in improving the soft magnetic properties as well as the thermal stability of FeN films. For films containing approximately 1.6 a/o Ta prepared under sputtering conditions of pN2/pAr=0.06, a power density of 2.5 or 3.9 W/cm2 and vacuum post-annealed at 350-degrees-C for 1 h, the following properties are observed: saturation magnetization (M(s)) values of approximately 1550 emu/cc, coercivity (H(c)) of approximately 1 Oe, permeability of 1700-2300 at 20 MHz, and anisotropy field of approximately 7 Oe. XRD scans yielded peaks characteristic of a random polycrystalline single phase bcc structure.