In-situ grazing incidence scattering investigations during magnetron sputtering deposition of FePt/Ag thin films

We report on an in-situ study on the evolution of granular magnetic L10 -FePt/Ag layers deposited by magnetron sputtering on an amorphous SiO2 substrate. Using synchrotron radiation we investigated the nanostructure growth during deposition as function of the Ag thickness by the simultaneous detection of the cluster growth and of the formation of the hard ferromagnetic L10 -phase applying grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and X-ray diffraction, respectively. FePt/Ag nanoparticle were prepared using a dual magnetron deposition chamber, equipped with two Be windows to allow X-ray penetration, that was mounted on the six-circle goniometer of the Rossendorf beam line (ROBL BM20) at the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility). The possibility to tune X-ray beam energy, to reduce air scattering and absorption, together with the high brilliance of the synchrotron source had made it possible to obtain a reliable GISAXS signal and to control the cluster morphology the initial stage [1].

[1] V. Cantelli, J. von Borany, N.M. Jeutter, J. Grenzer, Adv. Eng.Mat. 11, 478 (2009).