Growth, structural and morphological properties of Fe1 − xPdx/Si (111) thin films

A series of Fe1 − xPdx thin films, 100 nm thick and with various composition of Fe and Pd, were deposited onto Si (111) substrate, using thermal evaporation technique under vacuum. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) tool was used to quantify the composition of the thin films. The palladium content ranges from 16 at% to 36 at%. The X-ray diffraction technique was employed to study the structural properties of the films, and the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) tool was used to observe the surface topography and to measure the root-mean square(rms) roughness of the films. The crystallites sizes were found to decrease from 18.2 to 9.5 nm with increasing Pd content. The measured lattice parameter was greater than the bulk value and increased from 3.805 to 3.824 Å with increasing Pd content, in accordance with Vegard’s law. The measured microstrain was positive, indicating that the thin films were under tensile stress. Most of the films were smooth, with RMS roughness values ranging from 0.8 to 2.2 nm.