Effect of growth temperature on the structure and magnetic properties of sputtered biepitaxial (111) permalloy films

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns and coercivity values obtained from magnetization hysteresis loops of several sputtered biepitaxial (111)Py films grown at different temperatures on sputtered biepitaxial (111)Cu buffer layers have been collected. The results show that the coercive field of the Py films systematically increases as the growth temperature decreases, consistent with an increase in the degradation of the corresponding EBSD patterns due to enhancement of strain caused by misfit dislocations, threading defects, and point defects. The magnetization measurements also revealed no magnetocrystalline anisotropy for any of biepitaxial Py films studied. However, strain-induced uniaxial anisotropy was observed in all biepitaxial Py films. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.