Abstract
Fe-3.4 at%Si/Si3N4 multilayered films were prepared by RF sputtering. Soft magnetic properties were obtained when intermediate layers (SiNx) were deposited in Ar+N2 atmosphere and had the composition ratio (N/Si) of about 4/3. Interestingly, these films retain low coercivity of about 2 Oe after annealing (60O°C-2 hr) while Fe-3.4 at %Si/SiO2 multilayered films show high coercivity of more than 5 Oe after the same annealing. It was confirmed that Si3N4 layers prevent the grain growth of magnetic layers more effectively than SiO2 layers at high temperatures. It was also confirmed that multilayered structures of Fe-3.4 at%Si/Si3N4 are more thermally stable than those of Fe-3.4 at%Si/SiO2.
