Effect Of Different Thicknesses Of Cu Layers On Properties Of FeCı/Cu Multilayers Produced By A Magnetron Sputtering

FeCl/Cu multilayers were produced by using a magnetron sputtering, and the effect of different thicknesses of non-magnetic layer on the properties of the multilayers was investigated. The total thickness of each film was 120 nm. And, the thicknesses of the Cu layers were increased from 0 nm to 24 nm while the thickness of the FeCl layers was kept at a constant value of 6 nm. The deposition rate was adjusted as 0.05 nm/s. The energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy measurements revealed that the Cu content of the films gradually increased from 0 at. % to 61 at.% as the Cu thickness increased. The x-ray diffraction studies disclosed that the intensities of the peaks which indicate the face centered cubic planes increased with increasing Cu content in the films. According to scanning electron microscope images, very smooth and mirror-like surfaces occurred for all sputtered multilayers. Magnetic measurements achieved by a vibrating sample magnetometer indicated that magnetisation of the films decreased with increasing Cu content. For 20 kOe external magnetic field, the magnetization of the film without Cu layer was 1473 emu/cm3 while the value of 348 emu/cm3 was detected for the film with 24 nm Cu layer thickness.