Magnetic and structural characterization of Ni(1-x)Gex thin film

Abstract

In this study, the growth and magnetic properties of Ni(1-x)Gex thin films on naturally oxidized Si(100) substrate by a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique were investigated. The surface morphology and structural properties of the thin films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction techniques. The magnetic properties of the films were measured by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. SEM images show that the morphology of the films depends on chemical composition of the films. The analysis of FMR spectra and VSM results shows that the saturation magnetization, coercive field and effective magnetization of Ni(1-x)Gex film decrease with the increase of Ge content up to a certain value (atomic percent of Ge at 9%) which is called critical Ge concentration. The magnetization dynamics and agglomeration of NiGe thin film with varying Ge concentration have been presented for potential application like helical magnetic properties as in FeGe. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.