Study on the crystallization kinetics of Ni-Mn-Sn-Fe alloy thin films

Abstract This study examines the crystallization kinetics of Ni 50−x Mn 39 Sn 11 Fe x (x = 0, 0.5, 2, 4 at.%) amorphous thin films prepared by DC magnetron sputtering. SEM and XRD confirm their amorphous structure. Non-isothermal DSC results show that the crystallization peak temperature increases from 542.7 K to 568.0 K as Fe content rises, while the apparent activation energy increases from 96.69 to 152.93 kJ mol −1 , indicating enhanced resistance to crystallization. Isothermal analysis yields Avrami exponents of 1.15–1.41 (average ≈1.2), corresponding to diffusion-controlled one-dimensional growth. Local activation-energy evaluation further reveals composition-dependent differences in nucleation and growth during various stages. These quantitative kinetic parameters clarify the role of Fe in altering crystallization behavior and support the optimization of annealing conditions for Ni-Mn-Sn-based functional thin films.