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Texture formation in epitaxial hard magnetic Sm 2 Co 7 thin films
Author(s) -
Tamm R.,
Rao K. S.,
Fähler S.,
Neu V.,
Singh A.,
Oertel C.G.,
Schultz L.,
Holzapfel B.,
Skrotzki W.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.200925074
Subject(s) - epitaxy , materials science , texture (cosmology) , substrate (aquarium) , deposition (geology) , thin film , crystallography , volume fraction , condensed matter physics , analytical chemistry (journal) , composite material , nanotechnology , chemistry , geology , physics , paleontology , oceanography , image (mathematics) , layer (electronics) , chromatography , artificial intelligence , sediment , computer science
The crystallographic and magnetic texture of epitaxial, hard magnetic Sm 2 Co 7 films prepared on Cr‐buffered MgO single‐crystal substrates are analyzed. Substrate symmetry, deposition temperature, and deposition rate are systematically varied, resulting in a variety of different, but epitaxial orientations. On Cr‐buffered MgO(001), Sm 2 Co 7 grows with three different types of orientations: one inplane orientation with the c ‐axis aligned in the substrate plane parallel to MgO[100] and [010], and two tilted orientations, where the c ‐axes of the Sm 2 Co 7 crystals have a 45° and 60° orientation to the substrate plane. The volume fraction of the tilted orientations decreases with decrease in the Sm 2 Co 7 deposition temperature. A lower limit is given by the epitaxial growth temperature, which is necessary to form a fully crystalline, epitaxial film. This temperature can be reduced by lowering the deposition rate. Thus, almost completely inplane aligned films can be achieved by a low‐rate/low‐temperature deposition. On a Cr‐buffered MgO(011) substrate Sm 2 Co 7 grows with a single orientation, i.e., with the c‐ axis aligned onto the substrate plane parallel to MgO[100]. The findings are discussed considering elastic strain minimization, thermodynamics and kinetics of film growth, surface faceting, and Co‐particle formation.