A granular NiFe thin film with large in-plane magnetic anisotropy and high ferromagnetic-resonance frequency developed for radio-frequency integrated circuit (IC) applications is presented. During the deposition, three-dimensional (3D) growth occurs, yielding NiFe grains (? ? 1.0??m). Nanonuclei (? ? 30–50?nm) are observed in single NiFe grains by atomic-force microscopy (AFM). The in-plane magnetic anisotropy is estimated to be ? 50?mT. The frequency-dependent complex permeability is extracted. By taking the NiFe film as a magnetic core, solenoid-type inductors are fabricated and demonstrated and show a high operating frequency ( ? 5.5?GHz) with a maximum quality factor ( ? 3).
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