Investigation of Sm Addition on Microstructural and Optical Properties of CoFe Thin Films

Wen-Jen Liu; Yung-Huang Chang; Chia-Chin Chiang; Jian-Xin Lai; Yuan-Tsung Chen; Hsiung-Liang Chen; Shih-Hung Lin

doi:10.3390/ma16155380

Investigation of Sm Addition on Microstructural and Optical Properties of CoFe Thin Films

Materials (Basel). 2023 Jul 31;16(15):5380. doi: 10.3390/ma16155380.

Authors

Wen-Jen Liu¹, Yung-Huang Chang², Chia-Chin Chiang³, Jian-Xin Lai⁴, Yuan-Tsung Chen⁴, Hsiung-Liang Chen⁴, Shih-Hung Lin⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 840, Taiwan.
² Bachelor Program in Industrial Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou, Yunlin 640301, Taiwan.
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 80778, Taiwan.
⁴ Graduate School of Materials Science, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou, Yunlin 640301, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Electronic Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou, Yunlin 640301, Taiwan.

Abstract

CoFe-based alloys and rare earth (RE) elements are among the most studied materials in applying magnetic devices to improve soft magnetic characteristics. A series of Co₄₀Fe₄₀Sm₂₀ films are deposited on a glass substrate via the sputtering technique, followed by an annealing process to investigate their effect on microstructural and optical properties of Co₄₀Fe₄₀Sm₂₀ films. In this study, the increase in the thickness of Co₄₀Fe₄₀Sm₂₀ films and annealing temperatures resulted in a smoother surface morphology. The 40 nm Co₄₀Fe₄₀Sm₂₀ films annealed 300 °C are expected to have good wear resistance and adhesive properties due to their high values of H/E ratio and surface energy. Optical transparency also increased due to the smoother surface of the Co₄₀Fe₄₀Sm₂₀ films.

Keywords: Co40Fe40Sm20 films; annealing; nanomechanical properties; optical transparency; sputtering; surface roughness.

Abstract

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