Reduction of grain size and exchange coupling strength of Nd2Fe14B thin films by Al addition

NdFeB thin films of good perpendicular magnetic anisotropy have been successfully deposited on W underlayer by DC magnetron sputtering. Cu and Al elements are introduced to improve the structural and magnetic properties of the NdFeB films. The deposition temperature is lowered to 400 C by the addition of 1.0 at.% Cu. The average grain size is reduced to 10 nm by the introduction of 10.0 at.% Al. With the reduction of the grain size, the exchange coupling interaction between the grains is weakened. The magnetization reversal process of the grains directly depends on the grain size and shape. Before Al addition, most of the grains are demagnetized by magnetization incoherent rotation but in the film doped with 5.0 at.% Al, the magnetization is coherently reversed, as demonstrated by the comparison of the physical grain volume and the thermal switching volume. (copyright 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)