Effect of Ag on microstructural behaviour of Nanocrystalline $Fe_{87-x}Zr_7B_6Ag_x$($0{\leq}x_{Ag}{\leq}4$) Magnetic Thin Films Materials

Effect of Ag additive element on microstructure of $Fe_{87-x}Zr_7B_6Ag_x$, magnetic thin films on Si(001) substrates has been investigated using Transmission Electron Microscopy(TEM) and X-ray Diffraction(XRD). All samples with additive Ag element were made by DC-sputtering and subjected to annealing treatments of $300^{\circ}C{\siim}600^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr. TEM and XRD showed that perfectly amorphous state in Ag-free Fe-based films was observed in as-deposited condition. The as-deposited Fe-based films with the presence of Ag constituent have a mixture of Fe-based amorphous and nano-sized Ag crystalline phases. In this case, additive element, Ag was soluted into Fe-based matrix. With the increase in additive element, Ag, insoluble nano-crystalline Ag particles were dispersed in the Fe-based amorphous matrix. Crystallization of Fe-based amorphous phase in the matrix of $Fe_{82}Zr_7B_6Ag_5$ thin films occurred at an annealing temperature of $400^{\circ}C$. Upon annealing, the amorphous-Ag crystalline state of Fe-Zr-B-Ag films was transformed into the mixture of Ag crystalline phase + Fe-based amorphous phase + ${\alpha}$-Fe cluster followed by the crystallization process of ${\alpha}$-Fe nanocrystalline + Ag crystalline phases.