Effect of the Sputtering Power on the Structure, Morphology and Magnetic Properties of Fe Films

Abstract

<jats:p>In this paper, the radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering (MS) method was utilized to fabricate multiple sets of the iron film samples under different sputtering powers. With the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), how the sputtering power affected the structure, morphology and magnetic properties of the iron film was studied. XRD results showed that all Fe films have a polycrystalline bcc structure and (110) preferred orientation. According to the Bragg equation calculation, the larger the sputtering power, the larger the average grain size, which is consistent with the results of AFM particle size analysis. The main reason is that the sputtering power affects the grain growth mode. As the sputtering power increases, it gradually changes from a small island-like growth to a thick columnar growth. However, from the surface morphology and height profile, we saw that the iron film deposited under 230 W had the most uniform grain size distribution and the grain size was relatively small. This is why thin films deposited under this condition have the best soft magnetic properties. The saturation magnetization (Ms) reaches 1566 emu/cm3, coercivity (Hc) is 112 Oe, and squareness ratio (Mr/Ms) is 0.40. Therefore, iron film prepared under 230 W has good comprehensive properties (highest Ms, lower Hc and Mr/Ms) that provide an experimental basis for further thin film research work.</jats:p>

Effect of RF Power on the Physical Properties of Sputtered ZnSe Nanostructured Thin Films for Photovoltaic Applications

“…Notably, this observation is also strengthened by the increase of the crystallite size with increasing the RF power (see Table 1), confirming that in given conditions, for a certain range of RF power, the crystallite size raises, while the surface roughness decreases with the sputtering power. This trend is consistent with previous studies, mentioning that at an exceedingly high RF power, the surface roughness could increase due to excessive scattering effects close to the substrate' surface that typically reduce the overall sputtering rate and favor the formation of defects and coarse grains at the surface of the sputtered films [41], effect observed in our studies, too, by an increase of R A and RMS values, i.e., to 1.3 nm and 1.6 nm, respectively, for the ZnSe film deposited at 120 W (see Table 2). Notably, the ZnSe film grown at 100 W (ZnSe3) features the smallest R A and RMS values, i.e., 0.8 nm and 1.0 nm, respectively, in respect to the rest of the fabricated samples, eventually demonstrating that the latter sputtering conditions could allow the fabrication of ZnSe thin films with lowest defects density and excellent flatness, suitable to be used as "window" or buffer layers within various solar cells architectures.…”

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Activity of Anodically Generated FTO/Nanoporous SnOx Decorated with BiVO4

“…According to the literature, such a grained morphology and its inhomogeneous distribution result from the use of the sputtering technique. 31 Since the oxide growth occurs perpendicularly to the Sn surface, the porous layer reflects the orientation of the metallic grain as also reported by other authors. 32 Moreover, previous works concerning studies on the growth of SnO x in alkaline media revealed the widening of the pores with prolonged anodization time.…”

“…Surface micrographs of obtained samples reveal a coarse inhomogeneity of morphology independent of the fabrication procedure. According to the literature, such a grained morphology and its inhomogeneous distribution result from the use of the sputtering technique . Since the oxide growth occurs perpendicularly to the Sn surface, the porous layer reflects the orientation of the metallic grain as also reported by other authors …”

Effect of substrate temperature and RF power on the structural and optical properties of sputtered ZnO thin films

“…Intensity of diffraction peaks from (002) plane has enhanced with RF power due to the increase in thickness of film. As the power goes high, greater is the field strength and the number of sputtered particles increase as a result of the avalanche multiplication effect [23].…”