Surface characteristics and nanoindentation study of Ni–Mn–Ga ferromagnetic shape memory sputtered thin films

In present paper, the off-stoichiometric Ni–Mn–Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloy thin films are fabricated using radio frequency magnetron sputtering method. The compositions, microstructures and mechanical properties of the thin films are characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDAX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and nanoindentation test, respectively. The results show that there is a thinner layer of oxides consisting of NiO, Ga2O3 and an unspecified manganese oxidation (MnxOy) at the surface, whereas a small amount of MnO precipitates exist in internal layers of post-annealed Ni–Mn–Ga thin films. The hardness and elastic modulus decrease with increasing film thickness. Nanoindentation tests reveal that the hardness and elastic modulus of the films can be up to 5.5 and 155 GPa, respectively. The Ni–Mn–Ga thin films have remarkably improved the ductility of Ni–Mn–Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys bulk materials.