Characterization of Co–Fe and Co–Fe–Ni soft magnetic films electrodeposited from citrate-stabilized sulfate baths

The coercivities and saturation magnetizations of Co–Fe and Co–Fe–Ni films plated, under various processing conditions, from citrate-stabilized sulfate baths have been investigated to optimize soft magnetic properties. The coercivities of deposited films are dependent on electrolyte composition and plating conditions. For both systems, deposits with good soft magnetic properties were obtained, with coercivities less than 10 Oe (800 A/m) and saturation magnetizations close to 2.0 T for the Co–Fe system and coercivities as low as about 15 Oe (1190 A/m) and saturation magnetizations exceeding 2.0 T for the Co–Fe–Ni system. For both systems, the best soft magnetic properties corresponded to mixed fcc and bcc phases in the deposits with grain sizes less than 20 nm.