Structural, chemical and magnetic characterization of electrodeposited CoFeCu material

Electrodeposition of the iron group metals (Fe, Co, Ni) magnetic thin films has attracted much attention due to their potential applications in computer read/write heads. Electrodeposition is an inexpensive method for generating films with a high technological potential. Most investigation studied the effects of processing deposition condition such as pH, temperature, surtension, additives. In this present work, we propose to study the effect of boric acid and potential on the electrodeposition of CoFeCu. Film thickness was measured with the quartz crystal of the electrochemical quartz microbalance (EQCM) and composition was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Crystalline structure was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The magnetic properties were determined by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It was found that increasing the boric acid concentration affects the structure and the composition of the formed CoFeCu. The morphology of deposits as a function of the boric acid concentration was investigated by SEM. It reveals a smooth surface with regular grain size for the different boric acid concentration. CoFeCu prepared exhibits a Bs value of 19 to 20 KG and a coercive field more than 50e.