Highly textured SmCo5 (001) thin film with high coercivity

The seedlayer effect on crystallographic structure and magnetic properties of cosputtered SmCo films on Cu underlayer was investigated. Highly textured (001) SmCo5 thin films were obtained by introducing a thin Ti or Ta seedlayer. Especially, with the Ta seedlayer, the half maximum of the rocking curve of SmCo (001) peak was as small as 3.4 degrees and the high-index SmCo5 (003) diffraction peak was clearly observed, showing a high quality of texture and crystallinity. The SmCo5 films showed a large perpendicular anisotropy with out-of-plane coercivities over 20 kOe. Well crystallized SmCo5 films with (001) texture could be obtained at a temperature as low as 325 degrees C. The crystallinity, (001) texture, and magnetic properties of SmCo5 thin films were found to be dependent on deposition temperature, the texture of the Cu (111) underlayer, roughness of the Cu underlayer, and formation of SmCoCu alloy through the Cu diffusion. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3009318]