Novel methods for the fabrication of ferromagnetic nickel and nickel boride thin films

Metal-rich nickel boride thin films fabricated from boron-containing precursor compounds by a cluster deposition process are shown to be ferromagnetic. The metal-rich films fabricated by this approach exhibit hysteresis curves similar to those obtained for pure nickel foils. These films are a mixture of pure nickel and the Ni₃B nickel boride phases. It is postulated that the hysteresis curves with smaller remnant magnetizations obtained from these films are a consequence of Ni₃B inclusions within the films. Other novel organometallic source compounds for nickel chemical-vapor deposition are briefly reviewed.