Ko-Wei Lin’s research while affiliated with National Chung Hsing University and other places

This study investigated the effects of varying film thicknesses and annealing temperatures on the surface roughness and magnetic domain structure of CoFeSm thin films. The results revealed that as the film thickness increased, both the crystalline size and surface roughness decreased, leading to a reduction in coercivity (Hc) and improved magnetic contrast performance. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis confirmed the presence of cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), and samarium (Sm) within the thin films. Notably, the 40 nm Co40Fe40Sm20 thin film annealed at 200 °C exhibited lower sheet resistance (Rs) and resistivity (ρ), indicating higher conductivity and a relatively higher maximum magnetic susceptibility (χac) at 50 Hz. These findings suggest that these films are well suited for low-frequency magnetic components due to their increased spin sensitivity. The 40 nm Co40Fe40Sm20 thin film, subjected to annealing at 200 °C, displayed a distinct stripe domain structure characterized by prominently contrasting dark and bright patterns. It exhibited the lowest Hc and the highest saturation magnetization (Ms), leading to a significant improvement in their soft magnetic properties. It is proposed that the surface roughness of the CoFeSm thin films plays a crucial role in shaping the magnetic properties of these thin magnetic films.

Co40Fe40B10Dy10 thin films, with thicknesses varying between 10 nm and 50 nm, were grown on a Si(100) substrate. Subsequently, they underwent a 1 h annealing process in an Ar atmosphere at temperatures of 100 °C, 200 °C, and 300 °C. The oxide characteristic peaks of Dy2O3(440), Co2O3(422), and Co2O3(511) were revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The low-frequency alternating current magnetic susceptibility (χac) decreases with frequency. Due to thickness and the anisotropy of the magnetic crystal, the maximum χac and saturation magnetization values rise with thicknesses and annealing temperatures. As the thickness and heat treatment temperature rise, the values for resistivity and sheet resistance tend to fall. The results of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) show that average roughness (Ra) lowers as the annealing temperature increases, and the distribution of strip-like magnetic domain becomes more visible. As thickness and annealing temperature increase, there is a corresponding rise in surface energy. Nano-indentation testing shows that hardness initially decreases from 10 nm to 40 nm, followed by an increase at 50 nm. Notably, annealing at 300 °C leads to a significant hardening effect, marking the highest level of hardness observed. Young’s modulus increased as thicknesses and annealing temperatures increased. The magnetic, electric, and adhesive characteristics of CoFeBDy films are highly dependent on surface roughness at various annealing temperatures.

Co60Fe20Sm20 thin films were deposited onto glass substrates in a high vacuum setting. The films varied in thickness from 10 to 50 nm and underwent annealing processes at different temperatures: room temperature (RT), 100, 200, and 300 °C. Our analysis encompassed structural, magnetic, electrical, nanomechanical, adhesive, and optical properties in relation to film thickness and annealing temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis did not reveal characteristic peaks in Co60Fe20Sm20 thin films due to insufficient growth-driving forces. Electrical measurements indicated reduced resistivity and sheet resistance with increasing film thickness and higher annealing temperatures, owing to hindered current-carrier transport resulting from the amorphous structure. Atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis showed a decrease in surface roughness with increased thickness and annealing temperature. The low-frequency alternating current magnetic susceptibility (χac) values increased with film thickness and annealing temperature. Nanoindentation analysis demonstrated reduced film hardness and Young’s modulus with thicker films. Contact angle measurements suggested a hydrophilic film. Surface energy increased with greater film thickness, particularly in annealed films, indicating a decrease in contact angle contributing to this increase. Transmittance measurements have revealed intensified absorption and reduced transmittance with thicker films. In summary, the surface roughness of CoFeSm films at different annealing temperatures significantly influenced their magnetic, electrical, adhesive, and optical properties. A smoother surface reduced the pinning effect on the domain walls, enhancing the χac value. Additionally, diminished surface roughness led to a lower contact angle and higher surface energy. Additionally, smoother surfaces exhibited higher carrier conductivity, resulting in reduced electrical resistance. The optical transparency decreased due to the smoother surface of Co60Fe20Sm20 films.

The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of annealing and thickness on various physical properties in Co40Fe40Yb20 thin films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine the amorphous structure of Co40Fe40Yb20 films. The maximum surface energy of 40 nm thin films at 300 °C is 34.54 mJ/mm². The transmittance and resistivity decreased significantly as annealing temperatures and thickness increased. At all conditions, the 10 nm film had the highest hardness. The average hardness decreased as thickness increased, as predicted by the Hall–Petch effect. The highest low-frequency alternative-current magnetic susceptibility (χac) value was discovered when the film was annealed at 200 °C with 50 nm, and the optimal resonance frequency (ƒres) was in the low frequency range, indicating that the film has good applicability in the low frequency range. At annealed 200 °C and 50 nm, the maximum saturation magnetization (Ms) was discovered. Thermal disturbance caused the Ms to decrease when the temperature was raised to 300 °C. The optimum process conditions determined in this study are 200 °C and 50 nm, with the highest Ms, χac, strong adhesion, and low resistivity, which are suitable for magnetic applications, based on magnetic properties and surface energy.

Co60Fe20Y20 film was sputtered on glass substrate with a 10 nm to 50 nm under four annealed conditions and the structure, magnetic properties, surface energy, and optical property were examined. An amorphous structure of CoFeY films was revealed by an X-ray diffraction analyzer, suggesting that the addition of yttrium (Y) refined the grain size and the annealing temperatures were insufficient to support grain growth. The saturation magnetization (Ms) and low-frequency alternate-current magnetic susceptibility (χac) increased with the increase in the thicknesses and annealing temperatures, suggesting that the thickness effect and Y can refine grain size and induce ferromagnetic spin exchange coupling. The highest Ms and χac of Co60Fe20Y20 film were 735 emu/cm³ and 0.23 at an annealing temperature of 300°C and 50 nm. The χac value of CoFeY film decreased significantly with the increase in measured frequency, while the maximum χac value increased significantly after heat treatment. The optimal resonance frequency (fres) corresponding to the maximum χac was 50 Hz, indicating the applicability of the film in a low-frequency range. The highest surface energy of the 50 nm was 31.84 mJ/mm² at 300 °C, while the highest transmittance 58% was observed in as-deposited 10 nm film. The transmittance decreased with the increase in annealing temperatures and thickness. A higher thickness may inhibit photon signal transfer through the film, causing a low transmittance. Moreover, the specific properties of Co60Fe20Y20 films are compared with Co40Fe40B10Y10 films, which indicate that Co60Fe20Y20 films have high maximum χac, surface energy, and transmittance than Co40Fe40B10Y10 films.

This study investigated Co40Fe40W20 single-layer thin films according to their corresponding structure, grain size, contact angle, and surface energy characteristics. Co40Fe40W20 alloy thin films of different thicknesses, ranging from 10 to 50 nm, were sputtered on Si(100) substrates by DC magnetron sputtering. The thin films were annealed under three conditions: as-deposited, 250 °C, and 350 °C temperatures, respectively. The Scherrer equation was applied to calculate the grain size of Co40Fe40W20 thin films. The results show that the grain size of CoFe(110) increased simultaneously with the increase of post-annealing temperature, suggesting that the crystallinity of Co40Fe40W20 thin films increased with the post-annealing temperature. Moreover, the contact angles of all Co40Fe40W20 thin films were all less than 90°, suggesting that Co40Fe40W20 thin films show changes in the direction of higher hydrophilicity. However, we found that their contact angles decreased as the grain size of CoFe increased. Finally, the Young equation was applied to calculate the surface energy of Co40Fe40W20 thin films. After post-annealing, the surface energy of Co40Fe40W20 thin films increased with the rising post-annealing temperature. This is the highest value of surface energy observed for 350 °C. In addition, the surface energy increased as the contact angle of Co40Fe40W20 thin films decreased. The high surface energy means stronger adhesion, allowing the formation of multilayer thin films with magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs). The sheet resistance of the as-deposited and thinner CoFeW films is larger than annealed and thicker CoFeW films. When the thickness is from 10 nm to 50 nm, the hardness and Young’s modulus of the CoFeW film also show a saturation trend.