Structural and magnetic characterization of nanocrystalline Ni-20%Fe permalloy films

Samples of nanocrystalline Ni-20%Fe permalloy, obtained by electrodepositio n, were studied using an X-ray diffraction technique and magnetic force mic roscopy. After deposition, the alloy exhibited strong fiber texture with th e major component being [1 0 0] and a lesser contribution from [1 1 1]. An increase in deposition current density led to a reduction in the strength o f the [1 0 0] texture. Despite the small magnitude of the magnetic interact ion, images of magnetic domains were obtained using magnetic force microsco py. The images were, however, unstable and changed significantly with the s canning time. Annealing of the permalloy above 573 K caused rapid grain gro wth and a transformation of the [1 0 0] fiber to [1 1 1] fiber. Numerical a nalysis of the texture data was conducted to assess the atomic structure of grain boundaries in the as-deposited and annealed states.