Structural and Magnetic Properties of TiZrNi Thin Films Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering and Thermal Annealing

Abstract

Distinctive thin layers of TiZr and Ni were deposited by using a magnetron sputtering method and a thermal annealing was applied to discover metallic films of quasicrystals. After a heat treatment in vacuum, 70 nm thick deposited layers were well mixed with nominal compositions of 49.7, 29.3 and 21.0 for Ti, Zr and Ni, respectively, which is very close with the one forming a quasicrystalline phase. The magnetization values were significantly decreased from 0.286 to 0.142 emu/mm(3) at 2000 Oe, after annealing, while a shape of magnetic hysteresis was maintained. It is believed that a different magnetic behavior after thermal annealing is due to the homogeneous mixing of atomic elements and possible existence of a metastable phase.