Effect of heat treatment on the structure and electromagnetic properties of FeSiAl films

FeSiAl films were prepared by magnetron sputtering and heat-treated in different atmospheres. The films were characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS, VSM and VNA. Relationship between the composition, microstructure and static magnetic and electromagnetic properties of FeSiAl films was investigated. The results showed that an insulating oxide layer was formed on the surface of heat-treated FeSiAl films. The oxide layer significantly affects the resistivity, saturation magnetization strength and electromagnetic properties of films. The films heat-treated in vacuum show relatively high resistivity and excellent electromagnetic properties with saturation magnetization strength of 2190 emu/cm3 and resistivity of 250.5 mu omega/cm. The ferromagnetic resonance frequency of the film is 1.8 GHz. The extrema of the imaginary part of the complex permeability reaches 1699, which is nearly 7.4 times higher than that of the as-deposited FeSiAl film, showing excellent microwave attenuation performance.

Automated summary

FeSiAl films were prepared by magnetron sputtering and heat-treated in different atmospheres. The composition, microstructure, and static magnetic and electromagnetic properties of the films were investigated. An insulating oxide layer formed on the heat-treated films significantly affected their resistivity, saturation magnetization strength, and electromagnetic properties. The films heat-treated in vacuum exhibited high resistivity and excellent electromagnetic properties, with a saturation magnetization strength of 2190 emu/cm3 and resistivity of 250.5 mu omega/cm. The films also showed excellent microwave attenuation performance, with a ferromagnetic resonance frequency of 1.8 GHz and an extrema of the imaginary part of the complex permeability reaching 1699, almost 7.4 times higher than the as-deposited FeSiAl film.