Abstract
To investigate the crystallographic structure and the magnetic properties as a function of chemical composition (40-62 at. %) and substrate temperature (T s = 300-550 °C), we fabricated epitaxial FePd films of thickness 20 ± 2 nm by sputtering on MgO (100) single-crystal substrates. The ordering parameter, measured by x-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation, and the perpendicular anisotropy of the Fe 54 Pt 46 films increased with increasing substrate temperature. For FePd films (T s = 550 °C) with varied Fe content, a direct correlation between the ordering parameter and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy field is found. The greatest ordering parameter, 0.84, and magnetocrystalline anisotropy field, ∼20 kOe, were obtained for FePd films of Fe concentration 54 at. %, indicating that an off-stoichiometric L1 0 FePd might be preferable for engineering and applications. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.