Magnetostriction of Sm-Fe Thin Films Fabricated by a Sputtering Method

The magnetostriction and magnetic properties of sputtered SmxFe100-x (3¿x¿54) thin films at room temperature were investigated. Films had an amorphous structure for x¿12. The magnetostriction ¿ of the films increased rapidly under weak fields (≪1 kOe) and reached maximum values in the range 130 to 160×10^¿6 at 16 kOe for x=30 to 40, suggesting that Sm-Fe films can be used in microactuators and sensors. The magnetic properties did not show a clear dependence on the sputtering conditions, such as the input power, Ar gas pressure, or substrate temperature (¿250°C).