COMPOSITIONALLY MODULATED, NITRIDED ALLOY FILMS AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME

摘要

This invention relates to magnetic Fe alloy films in which at least nitrogen is compositionally modulated along the thickness of the film substantially in the form of a sine wave. By the compositional modulation, the Fe alloy film having high saturation magnetization is imparted with good resistances to corrosion and wear. The method of making a compositionally modulated Fe alloy film is described. The compositional modulation may be realized by merely superposing at least one nitrided layer and at least one nitride-free layer. The thermal treatment of the superposed layers is effective for the modulation where the content of the nitrogen in the film is compositionally modulated.