Strategy of preparing SmCo based films with high coercivity and remanence ratio achieved by temperature and chemical optimization

SmCo based films with excellent intrinsic magnetic properties have promising applications in micro-electro-mechanical system(MEMS).However,due to the complexity of phase composition and uncontrollable crystallization degree of SmCo hard magnetic phase in the film,both the coercivity(Hc)and remanence(Mr)of films are difficult to enhance simultaneously.In this paper,SmCo based films were deposited with a Cr underlayer and capping layer on single crystal Si substrates via magnetron sputtering process.The effects of annealing parameters and Sm/Co atomic ratio on the phase structure and coercivity of films are discussed.By adjusting the Sm/Co atomic ratio from 1:5 to 1:4,Co soft magnetic phase disappears and the single phase SmCo5 is obtained,leading to the increase of coercivity of the films from 30 to 34 kOe.The influence of deposition temperature and Cu doping on magnetic properties of SmCo based films was investigated.When the deposition temperature increases from room temperature to 250℃,the coercivity will further increase from 34 to 51 kOe.However,a severe kink is observed in the demagnetization curves due to the poor exchanged coupling.An analysis of transmission electron microscopy(TEM)confirms that the average size of non-hard magnetic amorphous phase exceeds the effective exchanged coupling length of SmCo5,which contributes to the decoupling and low remanence ratio.Therefore,doping Cu and applying a post-annealing process can significantly improve the crystallization degree of the films.Both the coercivity and the remanence ratio of the demagnetization curves are greatly enhanced.We propose a plausible strategy to prepare the SmCo based films with high coercivity and remanence ratio by temperature and chemical optimization,which can be utilized in high performed MEMS devices.

Unraveling the correlation between the remanence ratio and the dipolar field in magnetic nanoparticles by tuning concentration, moment, and anisotropy

Well-dispersed, uniform cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles (NPs) with diameters of 9, 11, 14, and 30 nm were synthesized by thermal decomposition of a metal–organic salt. Multiple variables, including the interparticle distance, moment, and anisotropy, were altered by dilution in a silica matrix and reduction in hydrogen to reveal the intrinsic correlation between the ratio of remanence to saturation magnetization (Mr/Ms) and interparticle dipolar interactions, the strength of which was estimated by the maximum dipolar field Hdip. To date, this correlation has not been systematically investigated experimentally. To prevent the particles from agglomerating, the reduction was performed after dilution. The results revealed that the correlation between Mr/Msand Hdiproughly followed Mr/Ms∝ 1/lgHdipindependent of the size, distance, moment, and anisotropy of the magnetic nanoparticles. In particular, the correlation was closer for the nanoparticle systems that had higher concentrations or moments, that is, stronger dipolar interactions. For the single-phase CoFe2O4nanoparticles, deviation from Mr/Ms∝ 1/lgHdipcan be attributed to the effects of surface spin, and for the slightly reduced nanoparticles, this deviation can be attributed to the pinning effect of CoFe2O4on CoFe2. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2016, Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Phase Transformation and Magnetic Properties of Nd_xFe_(60.5-x)Pt_(39.5)(x=0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5) Alloys

The effect of Nd addition on the structure, phase transformation and magnetic properties of FePt based alloys was investigated. The results indicated that the transition temperature from ordered FCT to disordered FCC phase decreased with increasing Nd concentration, but for alloys quenched rapidly from the γ phase region into ice-water, it increased with increasing Nd. The Nd element not only effectively reduced the grain size of the ordered phase but also decreased the degree of the ordered phase and refined the grains of the FCC matrix phase. The remanence ratio and coereivity of the FePt based alloy as a function of the Nd content had maximum values, respectively.

Effects of TbFeCo Underlayers on Magnetic Properties of CoFe_2O_4 Thin Films

Cobalt ferrite thin films were deposited on TbFeCo(10 nm)/Si(100) and Si(100) substrates at a substrate temperature of 350 ℃ by RF magnetron sputtering. The heat treated films were analyzed by Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Results showed that all films had high coercivity and perpendicular anisotropy especially for the films deposited on TbFeCo underlayer. TbFeCo underlayers increase the coercivity, magnetization and remanence ratio of CoFe2O4 films, films on TbFeCo underlayer had coercivity and magnetization as high as 832×103 A·m-1 and 450×103 A·m-1, and its romance ratio reaches 0.9, which was related to the Tb3+ diffusion from the underlayer into the film.