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
Affiliations
Wen-Jen Liu
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 840, Taiwan
Yung-Huang Chang
Bachelor Program in Industrial Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou, Yunlin 640301, Taiwan
Chia-Chin Chiang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 80778, Taiwan
Jian-Xin Lai
Graduate School of Materials Science, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou, Yunlin 640301, Taiwan
Yuan-Tsung Chen
Graduate School of Materials Science, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou, Yunlin 640301, Taiwan
Hsiung-Liang Chen
Graduate School of Materials Science, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou, Yunlin 640301, Taiwan
Shih-Hung Lin
Department of Electronic Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou, Yunlin 640301, Taiwan
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.
