Growth, structure and magnetic properties of magnetron sputtered FePt thin films [Elektronische Ressource] / von Valentina Cantelli

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• Physik

Informations

• Publié par: technische_universitat_dresden
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 30
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 17 Mo

Extrait

INSTITUT FÜR IONENSTRAHLPHYSIK UND MATERIALFORSCHUNG
FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM DRESDEN-ROSSENDORF eV.
Growth, structure and
magnetic properties of
magnetron sputtered
FePt thin films
Dissertation
zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades
Doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.)
vorgelegt der Fakultät Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften
der Technischen Universität Dresden
von
Dipl. Phys. Valentina Cantelli
geboren am 25.02.1970 in Asti, Italien
Dresden 2010Eingereicht am 22. Februar 2010
1. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. W. Möller
2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. D. C. Meyer
Verteidigt am 15. März 2010Table of contents
Abstract .............................................................................................I
Symbols..........................III
Abbreviations ........................................................................................... V
Motivation............................ 1
1. Iron Platinum ....................................................................................... 5
1.1. The FePt A1 and L1 phases......................50
1.2. The A1 to L1 phase transformation in FePt..............................70
1.3. Generation of the (001) preferential orientation in FePt L1 layers ..........................100
1.4. Nanoclusters formation...........................................................................................11
2. The deposition process..................................... 13
2.1. Basic plasma notions...............................................................................................13
2.2. DC glow discharges................................15
2.3. Sputtering ...............................................................................18
2.4. Energy flux during magnetron sputtering deposition onto the substrate ...................20
2.5. Effects of deposition parameters on layer properties................................................22
3. Experimental set-up........................................... 25
3.1. The magnetron deposition chamber.........................................25
3.2. The chamber used for in-situ investigations at ROBL ...........27
3.3. Annealing processes................................................................28
3.3.1. Ex-situ vacuum annealing chamber at FZD.................28
3.3.2. In-situat ROBL...............................................28
3.3.3. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at FZD in Ar flow.....29
4. Methods of investigation.................................................................. 31
4.1. X-ray scattering ......................................31
4.2. X-ray scattering geometries.....................................................34
iTable of contents
4.2.1. X-ray reflectivity, absorption and diffuse scattering.................................... 37
4.2.2. X-ray diffraction......................................................................................... 42
4.2.3. Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering (GISAXS) ...................... 44
4.2.4. X-ray scattering: experimental set-up 46
4.3. Additional methods of analysis............................................................................... 48
4.3.1. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS)........... 48
4.3.2. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)........................ 50
4.3.3. Transmission Electron (TEM)................. 51
4.3.4. Superconductive Quantum Interference Device .......................................... 52
5. Investigation of the A1 - L10phase transition.............................. 53
5.1. Experimental parameters ........................................................................................ 53
5.2. Results ................................................... 54
5.3. Discussion.............. 57
5.4. Summary................................................................................ 63
6. Preferred c-axis orientation in thin FePt films .............................. 65
6.1. Growths on crystalline substrate ............................................................................. 65
6.1.1. Experimental parameters............ 65
6.1.2. Results ....................................... 66
6.1.3. Discussion.................................................................. 72
6.2. Growths on amorphous substrate............ 74
6.2.1. Experimental parameters 74
6.2.2. Results ....................................... 75
6.2.2.1. As deposited layers ................................................................................. 75
6.2.2.2. RTA at 550°C in Ar flow........ 78
6.2.2.3. Annealing at 700°C in vacuum ............................................................... 83
6.2.2.4. Summary of the results........... 87
6.2.3. Discussion.................................................................. 88
6.2.4. Summary and conclusions .......................................... 92
7. FePt nanoclusters ............................................................................... 93
7.1. The effect of the sputtering gas and the deposition pressure on clusters formation .. 93
7.1.1. Experimental parameters ............................................................................ 93
7.1.2. Results ....................................... 94
7.1.3. Discussion.. 98
7.2. FePt/Ag nanocomposite layers................ 99
7.2.1. Experimental parameters .......................................................................... 100
7.2.2. Results and discussion.............. 101
7.2.3. Conclusion ............................................................... 105
8. Conclusions...................................................... 107
iiTable of contents
Appendix A: The nuclear stopping cross section ...................................I
Appendix B: X-ray scattering from a free electron ............................... II
Appendix C: The equivalence between the Bragg law and the Laue
condition ............................................................................IV
Appendix D: The order parameter S....................... V
Appendix E: Langmuir probe measurements .................................... VII
Appendix F: Dependence of the disorder-order transformation on
the layer thickness ............................................................ XI
References .........................................................XII
iiiAbstract
The L1 FePt phase belongs to the most promising hard ferromagnetic materials for high 0
density recording media. The main challenges for thin FePt films are: (i) to lower the
process temperature for the transition from the soft magnetic A1 to the hard magnetic L10
phase, (ii) to realize c-axes preferential oriented layers independently from the substrate
nature and (iii) to control layer morphology supporting the formation of FePt - L1 self-0
organized isolated nanoislands towards an increase of the signal-to-noise ratio.
In this study, dc magnetron sputtered FePt thin films on amorphous substrates were inve-
stigated. The work is focalized on the correlation between structural and magnetic
properties with respect to the influence of deposition parameters like growth mode (co-
sputtering vs. layer – by - layer) and the variation of the deposition gas (Ar, Xe) or
pressure (0.3 - 3 Pa). In low-pressure Ar discharges, high energetic particle impacts
support vacancies formation during layer growth lowering the phase transition temperature
to (320? 20)°C. By reducing the particle kinetic energy in Xe discharges, highly (001)
preferential oriented L1 - FePt films were obtained on a-SiO after vacuum annealing. 0 2
L1 - FePt nano-island formation was supported by the introduction of an Ag matrix, or by 0
random ballistic aggregation and atomic self shadowing realized by FePt depositions at
very high pressure (3 Pa).
The high coercivity (1.5 T) of granular, magnetic isotropic FePt layers, deposited in Ar
discharges, was measured with SQUID magnetometer hysteresis loops. For non-granular
films with (001) preferential orientation the coercivity decreased (0.6 T) together with an
enhancement of the out-of- plane anisotropy. Nanoislands show a coercive field close to
the values obtained for granular layers but exhibit an in-plane easy axis due to shape
anisotropy effects.
An extensive study with different synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques, mainly
performed at the ESRF, BM-20 (ROBL-Beamline), pointed out the importance of in-situ
investigations to clearly understand the kinetic mechanism of the A1? L1 transition and0
ordering and to control FePt nanoclusters evolution.
I