Properties of Fe‐Al‐Si‐N thin films prepared by N2 reactive sputtering

We have attempted to prepare Fe‐Al‐Si‐N films by rf magnetron sputtering in an atmosphere of Ar+N2, employing an Fe‐Al‐Si target, and investigated the influence of nitrogen on the properties of sendust alloys. Some properties, such as Vicker’s hardness and electrical resistivity of the films, were improved in the presence of nitrogen. In addition, the Fe‐Al‐Si‐N films interestingly show superior magnetic properties to those of sendust films. For example, effective permeability at 1 MHz of the film, prepared under the selected conditions, reached a maximum of approximately 4000, exceeding 2200 of our standard sendust film. The microstructure of Fe‐Al‐Si‐N and Fe‐Al‐Si films has been observed using scanning electron microscopy. As a result, we have found a difference in microstructure between the nitrogen‐containing films and the regular films.