Structural properties and crystal orientation of polycrystalline Gd films

To get a systematic understanding about dependence of deposition conditions on properties of Gd films,a series of Gd films were prepared under different Ar gas pressures:0.5,0.7,1.0,and 1.5 Pa,and another series of Gd films were prepared under different substrate temperatures:25,100,200,350,and 500℃.The effects of the deposition time,Ar pressure,and substrate temperature on microstructures and crystal orientation were investigated by grazingincidence X-ray diffraction(GIXRD)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The experimental results show that low Ar pressure and plenty deposition time will contribute to the formation of Gd hcp phase,which has better magnetic properties such as higher Curie temperature and bigger magnetic moment,and high substrate temperature can diminish the inner stress in Gd films and promote lattice parameters closer to those of the ideal Gd hcp-structure.