Miniature plasma focus as a novel device for synthesis of soft magnetic FeCo thin films

Abstract

The Letter reports the first ever application of low energy miniature plasma focus device as a deposition facility for nanostructured thin films. We demonstrate successful utilization of a 120 J fast miniature plasma focus device as a novel facility for the deposition of magnetically soft FeCo thin films. Different gas types and the substrate materials were used to investigate their effects on magnetic properties of the films. The FeCo films deposited on Si(100) with hydrogen as the filling gas were found to have an average grain size of 10.8 ± 1.2 nm with narrow size distribution and soft magnetic properties with coercivity of about 6.3 Oe. The experimental coercivity value matched reasonably well with the theoretical calculation done using ripple theory. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.