Annealing behavior of electroplated permalloy thin films. II

The isochronal and isothermal annealing behavior of electroplated Ni-Fe thin films in the temperature range 373°–773°K has been investigated through measurements of electrical resistivity, coercivity, and relative permeability. Analysis of the experimental data indicates that the resistivity decrease is characterized by an activation energy of about 0.70 eV for temperatures up to 550 ° K, and by an activation energy of about 1.82 eV above this temperature. The coercivity initially decreases with an activation energy of about 0.71 eV, and then increases with activation energies up to 1.81 eV. The relative permeability decreases with an activation energy of 1.01 eV. The significance of these activation energies is discussed in terms of structural changes, and the results are compared with the annealing behavior of vapor deposited Ni-Fe thin films.