The Effect of Sputtering Parameters and Doping of Copper on Surface Free Energy and Magnetic Properties of Iron and Iron Nitride Nano Thin Films on Polymer Substrate

The objective of this study was to deposit thin films on PET polymer substrate and examine the functional properties systematically. Their properties have been studied as a function of the N2-Ar flow rates, deposition time span and Cu doping. Iron nitride film deposited on both sides exhibits ferromagnetic phases, γ′-Fe4N and e-Fe3N co-existed, shows negligible magnetic anisotropy. Other samples show the evolution of N-rich (FeN, Fe2N) and N-poor (Fe16N2, Fe3N, Fe4N) phases under different deposition time conditions. XPS analysis and free energy calculations confirmed that co-sputtered Fe-Cu thin films are more stable than layer deposited counterparts. From VSM results it is evident that the dominant phase, changes steadily from the ferromagnetic α-Fe (N) to the paramagnetic ξ-Fe2N with the increase of nitrogen flow rates and the ordering of the nitrogen atoms. Binding energy increases steadily from 733 eV to 740 eV with the increasing thickness of thin films from 74 nm to 94 nm. It was observed that surface energy decreases as the contact angle of glycol increases and changes the thin film surface from polar to nonpolar. TEM images indicate that cubic γ′-Fe4N and e-Fe3N nano particles oriented in preferred directions dispersed uniformly in the amorphous iron nitride matrix.