Growth mode of Pt1ÿxNix ®lms biased dc-sputter-deposited on MgO(0 0 1)

A study is made by TEM, XRD and by measuring electrical/magnetic properties, of growth mode and properties of Pt1ÿxNix alloy ®lms deposited on MgO(0 0 1) at 2508C by dc-sputtering at 2:5ÿ2:7 kV in Ar. A bias voltage Vs ÿ160 V was applied to the substrate during deposition. It was con®rmed that the Pt ®lm was polycrystalline with the texture of Pt(1 1 1)/ MgO(0 0 1) while the ®lms of Pt0.14Ni0.86 and Pt0.19Ni0.81 were epitaxially grown with Pt±Ni(0 0 1)[1 0 0]/MgO(0 0 1)[1 0 0] similarly to the case of Ni/MgO(0 0 1). Thus the growth mode transformation between Pt±Ni(1 1 1)/MgO(0 0 1) and Pt± Ni(0 0 1)/MgO(0 0 1) may be induced at x less than 0.81 for Pt1ÿxNix alloy ®lms. The temperature coef®cient of resistance TCR from 100 to 300 K of Pt0.14Ni0.86 ®lms was estimated to be 0.0044±0.0053 Kÿ1 and saturation magnetization at 300 K to be 1.7±3.2 kG, respectively, while TCR of Pt ®lms was estimated to be 0.0035±0.0048 Kÿ1.#2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved