Effects of Annealing and Thickness of Co<sub>60</sub>Fe<sub>20</sub>Yb<sub>20</sub> Nanofilms on Their Structure, Magnetic Properties, Electrical Efficiency, and Nanomechanical Characteristics
Wen-Jen Liu,
Yung-Huang Chang,
Yuan-Tsung Chen,
Po-Chun Chiu,
Jian-Cheng Guo,
Shih-Hung Lin,
Po-Wei Chi
Affiliations
Wen-Jen Liu
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 84001, Taiwan
Yung-Huang Chang
Bachelor Program in Interdisciplinary Studies, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou 64002, Yunlin County, Taiwan
Yuan-Tsung Chen
Graduate School of Materials Science, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou 64002, Yunlin County, Taiwan
Po-Chun Chiu
Graduate School of Materials Science, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou 64002, Yunlin County, Taiwan
Jian-Cheng Guo
Graduate School of Materials Science, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou 64002, Yunlin County, Taiwan
Shih-Hung Lin
Department of Electronic Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou 64002, Yunlin County, Taiwan
Po-Wei Chi
Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that metal oxide peaks appear at 2θ = 47.7°, 54.5°, and 56.3°, corresponding to Yb2O3 (440), Co2O3 (422), and Co2O3 (511). It was found that oxide formation plays an important role in magnetic, electrical, and surface energy. For magnetic and electrical measurements, the highest alternating current magnetic susceptibility (χac) and the lowest resistivity (×10−2 Ω·cm) were 0.213 and 0.42, respectively, and at 50 nm, it annealed at 300 °C due to weak oxide formation. For mechanical measurement, the highest value of hardness was 15.93 GPa at 200 °C in a 50 nm thick film. When the thickness increased from 10 to 50 nm, the hardness and Young’s modulus of the Co60Fe20Yb20 film also showed a saturation trend. After annealing at 300 °C, Co60Fe20Yb20 films of 40 nm thickness showed the highest surface energy. Higher surface energy indicated stronger adhesion, allowing for the formation of multilayer thin films. The optimal condition was found to be 50 nm with annealing at 300 °C due to high χac, strong adhesion, high nano-mechanical properties, and low resistivity.
