Electrodeposition of Co and Co-Fe Films on Platinum and on Copper Substrates

CoFe films were electrodeposited on platinum and copper from an acidic sulfate bath. The deposits surface morphology was analyzed using SEM and composition was determined by XPS. For deposition potentials lower than –0.80 V(SCE), the anodic stripping voltammogram showed a complex anodic current peak evidencing the complexity of the deposition process. Analysis of the deposition current transient curves showed that the nature of the substrate influenced the kinetic of the process: it was observed an instantaneous nucleation on Pt and a progressive nucleation on Cu. Pure cobalt and cobalt-iron films formed on Pt and on Cu presented binding energies for Co2p3/2 signal corresponding to cobalt oxide, while the Fe2p3/2 signal is related to metallic iron. The corresponding metallic cobalt was observed for the Co2p3/2 signal with binding energy of about 778.0 eV.