Magnetic properties of GdFe amorphous alloy films prepared by sputtering

Abstract
We studied GdxFel−x amorphous films (0.22<×<0.34) prepared by sputtering onto mirror polished surfaces of Si single crystal plates. The saturation magnetic moment Ms, coercive force Hc, perpendicular anisotropy field Hk, and nucleation field Hn were determined as a function of composition from M‐H loops measured with a vibrating sample magnetometer. The average perpendicular anisotropy constant Ku was 4×105 erg/cm3 in the composition range 0.22<×<0.34. Magnetic domains corresponding to various types of M‐H Loop were also observed. It was found that in the composition region having minimum Ms, the shape of the M‐H loop was rectangular, and the magnetic domain structure in the remanent state was a sparklike pattern, that is, strip domains divergerd radially from one point. In other composition regions stripe domains could be observed in the remanent state.