Zr-Cu Amorphous Films Prepared by Magnetron Co-sputtering Deposition of Pure Zr and Cu

Zr_xCu_100-x amorphous films are prepared on Si (111) substrates by magnetron co-sputtering of pure Zr and Cu. It is found that the glass forming ability (GFA) of the films increases with x when x is in the range from 35 to 65 and with the best glass forming ability at x=65. It is therefore different from the bulk counterparts, for which only x=35 and 50 were reported to have high glass forming ability during casting. The structure of the films is sensitive to the substrate temperature and the sputtering argon pressure.