Soft Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism of Carbon-Implanted Amorphous Fe93Zr7 Films

We report on the effect of carbon implantation on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of Fe93Zr7 (FeZr) amorphous films. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements on (FeZr)100-xCx (x = 0, 5.5, and 11) indicate the incorporation of carbon in the FeZr matrix, with an increase of the Fe-Fe distance by implanting carbon. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements reveal the creation of Fe-C bonds after implantation. A significant enhancement of the Curie temperature and decrease of the coercivity are observed in the carbon-implanted films. Moreover, the non collinear ferromagnetism of the as-grown FeZr film diminishes upon carbon implantation.