Influence of growth and anneal conditions on the surface roughness of L1 ₀ Fe ₅₀Pd _xPt _50-x thin films

We deposit Fe 50Pd xPt 50-x alloy thin films by magnetron sputtering onto a TiN seed layer. Chemically ordered L1 0 films are obtained which display large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We find that the surface roughness of the film depends strongly on the growth and anneal conditions as well as the Pd composition of the film. Smooth films are obtained by deposition above the chemical ordering temperature and by removing Pd from the alloy. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.