Nonuniformities in Magnetic Characteristics of Thin Films Produced by Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

A Halbach magnetic system has been developed that generates a uniform field in the plane of thin magnetic films (TMFs) produced using magnetron sputtering technology. The magnetic field of the system is approximately 60 times stronger than the gradient field of the magnetron over an area of 60 × 48 mm². This significantly reduces the nonuniformity of the TMF magnetic characteristic distribution over the sample area. The system is constructed using four magnetic bars, each composed of eight cobalt–samarium magnets measuring 10 × 10 × 10 mm. The reduction in nonuniformity of the magnetic characteristic distribution over the TMF area has been confirmed by measurements using a scanning ferromagnetic resonance spectrometer on 12 samples, each ~55 nm thick, obtained by simultaneous sputtering a Ni₈₀Fe₂₀ target onto 12 × 12 × 0.5 mm quartz glass substrates.