Magnetic studies of copper incorporated iron nitride thin films

Iron nitride thin films are being considered in various applications due to their high saturation magnetization values. Their magnetic properties can be tuned for specific applications, by either adding a non-magnetic layer or by adding a third element to the iron nitride films during fabrication. For example, stacked layers of iron nitrides and copper nitrides have been investigated as promising candidates for magnetic tunnel junctions. In this paper we report a systematic study of copper incorporated iron nitride thin films fabricated by co-sputtering iron and copper in an environment of N₂ and Ar using reactive magnetron sputtering. These thin films have been deposited on silicon substrates and the copper sputtering power has been systematically varied to study its effects on the structure and properties of the film. The films have been characterized by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Finally, the magnetic properties of these films have been measured using a vibrational sample magnetometer, and the values correlated with the structure and composition of the films.