Structural investigation of magnetron sputtered Ta/Ni_xMn_(100-x)/Ta thin films

摘要

The structural properties of both as-deposited and annealed magnetron sputtered Ta/Ni_xMn_(100-x)/Ta films were studied by means of transmission electron microscopy. The state of as-deposited films was determined through direct observation of the microstructure and selected area electron diffraction patterns. Both the grain size and phase composition were shown to depend on the chemical composition of the film. The effect of annealing on the transformations in the NiMn layer, as well as the effect of the underlying Ta layer on the growth of NiMn were also investigated.