Preferred Orientation Enhancement in FeCo/SiO₂ Nanocomposite Films Induced by Cu Underlayer

We prepared FeCo/SiO₂ thin films through depositng initial materials on various thickness Cu seed layers by sol-gel spin-coating and magnetron-sputtering methods. As-prepared composite films were reduced in hydrogen to induce texture growth. Structure, magnetic property, and surface topography of the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These experimental data indicate that the ratio values of I₍₂₀₀₎/I₍₁₁₀₎ of the thin films are all larger than 1 for all the samples, indicating that FCC-copper is in favor of promoting (200) FeCo texture, but more thickness will reduce this advantage. Cu underlayers can also promote the out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy of the films.