The influences of annealing on surface morphology and microstructure of NdFeB thin film

Abstract

Abstract NdFeB thin films are produced by DC magnetron sputtering. The influences of annealing on surface morphology and microstructure of NdFeB thin films are studied in this paper. The result shows that the formation of Nd2Fe14B is prevented by depositing film directly on the substrates. Nd2Fe14B phase exists in crystalline films with Mo as a buffer layer and protective layer. Mo is a good material for being a buffer layer and protective layer. The (110) oriented texture of Mo is formed on (100) mirror polished Si after annealing. The deposited films are amorphous. SEM results show that the grain size is fine and uniform after annealing. Atomic Force Microscope investigation reveals that the film is smoother and denser after annealing. It is found that the films are still amorphous with annealing temperature below 400 °C, and the films begin to crystallize after annealing at 500 °C; the films annealed at 600 °C are fully crystallized.