Abstract: A variety of natural and industrial dynamical processes, such as vapor deposition, spray painting, and chemical dissolution, lead to the formation of rough surfaces. In the light of dynamical scaling, the growth and formation of such rough interfaces can be researched. In this paper, we deposited Fe-N thin films on glass substrates at different temperatures and different time by DC magnetron sputtering in N 2/Ar atmosphere. The composition, structure and saturation magnetization of the films were investigated. The growth of the γ′-Fe₄N phase was also analyzed by using dynamic scaling. It is found that the surfaces of the Fe-N films typically exhibits self-affine structures both in space and time, and the 2-dependent nontrivial exponents are α≈0.57±0.20 and β≈0.61±0.02, respectively. The scaling relationship α+α/β≈2 is obeyed, which is in agreement with KPZ universality. The growth process allowed the formation of overhangs or voids, and desorption was the dominant relaxation process.

Key words: γ′-Fe₄N, Growth universality class, D.C. magnetro sputtering, Magnetism