Thickness-dependent structural and magnetic properties of [formula omitted] thin films.

In this work, a series of Fe 4 N thin films with thickness t = 10, 30, 60, and 120 nm were deposited using a reactive dc magnetron sputtering and studied for their structural and the magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed the formation of a single-phase Fe 4 N and the grain size was found to increase up to t = 60 nm. Magnetization measurements were carried out using the bulk magnetization as well as element-specific magnetic circular dichroism. It was found that the saturation magnetization (M s) maximizes at t = 30 nm. To correlate the observed variation in the M s , we studied the local structure using near edge and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. The effect of local structure and interatomic distances on the magnetic properties of Fe 4 N films have been explored and discussed. • Fe 4 N films of different thicknesses were deposited using magnetron sputtering. • XMCD and SVSM measurements showed a similar trend of magnetization variation with the thickness of the film. • XANES and EXAFS studies revealed local structure variations in the films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]