Influence of the microcrystalline structure on the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic films and structures on their base

This paper presents the results of investigating the crystal structure of thin films of the Co$_{40}$Fe$_{60}$ composition obtained by magnetron sputtering on their magnetic properties and properties of ferromagnetic nanostructures formed from these films using the optical and electron lithography. It has been found experimentally that magnetic properties of the structures depend on the crystalline-grain sizes, which can be controlled by means of deposition of additional buffer layers of various materials $\sim$1 nm thick on the substrate under the ferromagnetic film. It has been shown that the crystallite size can be the main factor that determines the minimal lateral sizes of the structures with specified magnetic properties, which are formed from thin ferromagnetic films.