  Thin films of iron and permalloy Ni80Fe20 were prepared using an Ar+N2
mixture with magnetron sputtering technique at ambient temperature. The
nitrogen partial pressure, during sputtering process was varied in the range of
0 to 100%, keeping the total gas flow at constant. At lower nitrogen pressures
RN2<33% both Fe and NiFe, first form a nanocrystalline structure and an
increase in nitrogen partail pressure results in formation of an amorphous
structure. At intermediate nitrogen partial pressures, nitrides of Fe and NiFe
were obtained while at even higher nitrogen partial pressures, nitrides
themselves became nanocrystalline or amorphous. The surface, structural and
magnetic properties of the deposited films were studied using x-ray reflection
and diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, polarized neutron
reflectivity and using a DC extraction magnetometer. The growth behavior for
amorphous film was found different as compared with poly or nanocrystalline
films. The soft-magnetic properties of FeN were improved on nanocrystallization
while those of NiFeN were degraded. A mechanism inducing nanocrystallization
and amorphization in Fe and NiFe due to reactive nitrogen sputtering is
discussed in the present article.
