Nanoindentation and tribological studies of magnetically soft high moment FeTaN thin films

The nanoindentation and tribological behavior of magnetically soft high moment FeTaN thin films have been investigated. It was observed that the hardness of FeTaN films increases when nitrogen is incorporated into the film and the wear resistance of these films against commercial magnetic tapes was increased by introducing a small amount of nitrogen but decreased with a further increase of nitrogen content. SEM observations on cross section of a wear scar revealed that there were debris particles (less than 0.5 /spl mu/m) on the worn surface.