ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
The influence of preparation conditions on the morphology and the resulting oxidation behavior of amorphous GdTbFe films was studied. The morphology was characterized by transmission electron microscopy and mass-density measurements, the magnetic properties by torque and vibrating sample magnetometer measurements, and the oxidation kinetics by in situ measurements of electrical conductivity and Hall hysteresis loops. For the first time a quantitative comparison of the aging kinetics of evaporated and magnetron sputtered films prepared at different Ar sputter gas pressures and substrate-target distances is reported. With increasing the pressure-distance product from 36 to 192 Pa mm the always-observed columnar structure becomes much more pronounced and the mass density, electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance of the films decrease significantly. The pressure-distance product for thermalization plays an important role in determining the microstructure of the films. Evaporated films show similar features to dc magnetron sputtered films prepared at pressure-distance products of about 100 Pa mm. The oxidation rate is proportional to the porosity of the films and shows, independent of the preparation conditions, an activation energy of 0.3 eV.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.345676
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