Two magnetic phases in the co-sputtered Fe-Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ thin film

The structure and magnetic properties of Fe-Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ thin films fabricated by a co-sputtering technique were studied by X-ray diffractometry and magnetometry. With increasing area fraction of Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ pieces on the Fe target, magnetization of the films decreased due to reduced Fe content and reduced grain size of the bcc crystalline phase. The temperature dependence and field dependence of magnetization of co-sputtered thin films can be explained by a mixture of two types of particles showing paramagnetism and ferromagnetism.