ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
We report on some aspects of a wide-ranging study of the phase separation and properties of sputtered Fe-SiO2 films with Fe volume fractions of 5%–70%. Results of saturation magnetization, electron microscopy and diffraction, Mössbauer effect, and Rutherford backscattering measurements will be presented. We have identified four phases in our films: SiO2, α-Fe, a phase believed to be Si-stabilized amorphous Fe, and a few percent of an Fe compound. For Fe volume fractions below 40%, nearly all of the Fe is present as 10–40 A(ring) particles of the amorphous phase. With increasing Fe content, the volume fraction of α-Fe increases, the fraction of amorphous phase decreases, and the particle sizes increase. Above 50%, α-Fe is the predominant phase. We believe that the relative amounts of crystalline and amorphous iron are related to the occurrence of excess silicon in the films that may arise under some sputtering conditions.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.342518
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