STUDY OF CONBFE FILMS DEPOSITED BY DC MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

CoNbFe films were deposited by dc multisource sputtering and unbalanced dc single magnetron sputtering. The film structures and magnetic properties were studied as a function of film composition and deposition parameters. TEM study of the film structure and the measurement of film resistivity showed that films containing more than 12 at % of Nb are amorphous, with a transition to crystalline films occurring in the 12-to-9-at% range. The addition of small amounts of Fe reduces the H(c) of the as-deposited films. For Co87-(x)Nb13Fe(x) films, the optimum Fe content is 5.0 at%. The minimum H(c) of CoNbFe films made by the multisource was 17 A/m, with a large anisotropy field H(k). Films made from a composite target on a single unbalanced magnetron had a minimum H(c) of 6 A/m and a minimum H(k) of 15 A/m. This is attributed to the low-energy and high-density ion bombardment of the growing films and the smaller angle of incidence from the single source.