Preparation of thin ferrite films on silicon using RF sputtering

Thin-films of Ni x Zn 1-x Fe 2 O 4 [(Ni,Zn)-ferrite] are grown by means of RF sputtering on Si(100) and (111) substrates, corresponding to the orientation of Si cantilevers for AFM/MFM measurements. We find that the ferrite can be sputtered directly onto the Si surfaces, but an additional annealing step is required to obtain a purely polycrystalline, soft magnetic film. The microstructure of the films is investigated employing transmission electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction and magnetic force microscopy.