Properties of barium ferrite sputtered films

Ferrites have magnetic properties suitable for electronic applications, especially in the microwave range (circulators and isolators). Hexagonal ferrite, such as barium ferrite (BaFe12O19 or BaM), are of great interest for microwave device applications because of their large resistivity and high permeability at high frequencies. BaM films, 1–10 μm thick, were deposited under optimized conditions by RF magnetron sputtering on alumina and silicon substrates. After deposition, films were amorphous and needed a post-deposition annealing at 800 °C to crystallize and to present magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that BaM films deposited on alumina and silicon substrates presented a good crystallization, a smooth surface and no cracks. Ba, Fe and O depth profiles obtained by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) showed that the films have a good in-depth uniformity. The film residual stress was evaluated using curvature measurements. Whatever the substrate type, the films are in compression after deposition. Upon annealing and crystallization, a tensile stress adds up in relation with crystalline arrangements. Finally, regarding the magnetic properties measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), the optimized saturation magnetization of such films reached 500 mT and the coercive force 325 kA/m. These values are close to that of the bulk BaM.