Abstract
This paper discusses the correlation between soft magnetic properties and microscopic magnetic structure in Co-(0∼6) at% Fe-(7∼10) at% Ta-N nanocrystalline films. Increase of the Fe content improves the soft magnetic properties of the films by decreasing the local anisotropy fluctuation. The temperature dependence of the coercive force indicates that the decrease in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy at room temperature due to the increase in the Fe content plays an important role in decreasing the local anisotropy fluctuation. Furthermore, with increasing Fe content, the film magnetostriction decreases, which suggests that the magnitude of the linear magnetostriction decreases. On the other hand, the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy Ku is reversibly induced by magnetic annealing in all films. With an increase in the Fe content from 0 to 6 at%, the magnitude of Ku gradually increases, and the Ku of the films containing 6 at%Fe is about twice as large as that of films without Fe.
