Effects of nitrogen annealing on surface structure, silicide formation and magnetic properties of ultrathin films of Co on Si(100)

Effects of nitrogen annealing on structural and magnetic properties of Co/Si (100) up to 700°C has been studied in this paper. Ultrathin Co films having a constant thickness of 50 A were grown on Si (100) substrates using electron-beam evaporation under very high vacuum conditions at room temperature. Subsequently, the samples were annealed at temperatures ranging from 100–700°C in a nitrogen environment at atmospheric pressure. Sample quality and surface morphology were examined using atomic force microscopy. Silicide formation and the resultant variation in crystallographic arrangement were studied using X-ray diffractometer. The magnetization measurements done using a vibrating sample magnetometer indicate a decrease in coercivity and retentivity values with increase in annealing temperature. Resistivity of the samples measured using a four-point probe set up shows a decrease in resistivity with increase in annealing temperature. Formation of various silicide phases at different annealing temperatures and the resultant variation in the magnetic susceptibility has been thoroughly studied and quantified in this work.