Preparation of Amorphous Fe-B Films by Sputtering and Their Structure Analysed by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Amorphous Fe-B thin films of the concentration range between 12 and 25 at.% B were prepared by radio frequency sputtering techniques, and their local structures were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Pair-distribution-function analyses of Fe-12, -18 and -25 at.%B for a region of 300 nm in diameter revealed a systematic trend according to the concentration; with the increase in B concentration, the intensity of the weak shoulder peak at 0.205 nm for the Fe-B pair increases whereas those of main peaks for Fe-Fe pair decrease. In electron diffraction patterns of the samples taken by a probe size of 2 nm, the specific spots of iron-borides, such as Fe3B and Fe23B6, were detected, suggesting the atomic arrangement of the compounds in the amorphous matrices