Temperature-driven microstructural, compositional, and magnetic changes in electrodeposited Fe–Pd thin films

Equiatomic Fe–Pd thin films with thicknesses of 200 nm were deposited from a single electrolyte onto glass-based, Au-coated substrates using the electrodeposition method. The as-deposited films were annealed at temperatures from 400 to $600°C$ for 1 h in $Ar+7%H2$⁠. The phase formation, microstructure and the magnetic properties were analyzed. The $L10$ ordering was found to coincide with the grain growth and the interdiffusion reaction between the substrate and the thin film when temperatures above $500°C$ were used, which resulted in lower coercivities. The highest coercivity of 870 Oe was achieved when modest temperatures $(400°C)$ were used.