In situ GISAXS study of Permalloy thin film growth dynamics on self-organized nanorippled Si templates

• Nanorippled templates prepared by low energy Ar+ ion beam irradiation. • Growth investigation of Permalloy thin films on nanorippled Si by in situ GISAXS during film deposition. • Detailed thickness dependant evolution of GISAXS data to demonstrate different growth regimes. • BornAgain GISAXS simulation supporting the proposed growth models. • Tuning of magnetoresistance in Py with film thickness and its correlation with structural changes. Real-time growth investigation of permalloy (Py) thin film deposition on ion beam sculptured nanoripple Si template has been performed using in situ grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) technique. During film deposition, four growth regimes are observed- Template-guided conformal growth transitions into strain-induced roughening, followed by structural reordering, and finally bulk-like rough film growth. The growth behavior of the film, including its shape and spatial arrangements, has been obtained using simulation and models. Anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) has been performed to study the magneto transport properties of the thickness dependence of Py films on nanorippled templates. As the film thickness increases, the effect of surface ripples on its magnetic behavior weakens, which reduces the AMR response.