The large difference in coercivities between CoNiCr (800 Oe) and CoFeCr (200 Oe) thin films, which were deposited on Cr‐coated NiP/Al substrates under the same conditions, is related to their differences in microstructures. The magnetic properties were measured with a vibrating sample magnetometer and the microstructures were studied by transmission electron microscopy. It is found that both the CoNiCr and the CoFeCr films are hcp in phase, and of similar grain sizes. However, the stacking fault density (fcc region) is higher in CoNiCr films than in CoFeCr films, which may account for the difference in their coercivities. The presence of stacking faults is related to composition effects on stacking fault energy and their generation to release residual stresses.
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