Fe1-xPdx films of nearly equiatomic composition (0.47 less than or equ
al to x less than or equal to 0.56) have been prepared by ion-beam spu
ttering at substrate temperatures T-S=350 degrees C. During growth the
films were bombarded by Xe+ ions with energies E(Xe) = 0-100 eV and a
n ion-to-atom arrival ratio of R = 0.3. Films were characterized by x-
ray diffraction and the wavelength dependent magneto-optic Kerr effect
. Without bombardment, the films are partly chemically ordered with a
long-range order parameter S approximate to 0.7. For energies E(Xe) up
to 50 eV the chemical order survives to a high degree and only modera
te modifications in the structural data and Kerr spectra are observed,
whereas for E(Xe)= 100 eV the chemical order is completely destroyed.
In contrast, the epitaxial quality seems to be unaffected by the bomb
ardment for E(Xe)less than or equal to 50 eV. This shows that low-ener
gy ion bombardment during growth only leads to a randomization of the
Fe and Pd atoms on the lattice sites without causing significant struc
tural damage. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.