LAUSR

Abstract The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) Pr-Fe-B film with a fixed thickness of 125 nm was fabricated. Five various structures of PrFeB thin films were prepared by using magnetron sputtering at 650 °C in a high vacuum chamber. The magnetic properties of PrFeB films were studied as a function of compatibility between underlayer and substrate. All films exhibited various magneto-crystalline anisotropies with the variation of underlayer and substrate. Si3N4 underlayer and Si substrate had the highest compatibility. Therefore, the PMA, coercivity, and the morphology significantly increased and changed correlatively in the structure of Si3N4 top layer/Pr-Fe-B/Si3N4 underlayer/Si(100) substrate. Especially, the appearance of Fe3Si(110) soft magnetic layer dramatically supported the evolution of Pr2Fe14B phase with PMA. The XPS analysis resulted in Pr and Fe occupied higher intensity than others in the sample. This confirmed the ascertained and strong magnetization degree. The presence of other elements played the role as the auxiliary-compositions.