Magnetic and microstructural properties of hard magnetic NdFeB films prepared on a Ta buffer by pulsed laser deposition

Hard magnetic NdFeB films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition at different substrate temperatures on a Ta buffer. With increasing deposition temperature, the in-plane to out-of-plane remanence ratio decreases to less than 0.1, indicating a very good perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. However, for temperatures above 600/spl deg/C the increasing grain size reduces coercivity. A reduction in film thickness reduces grain size and increases the coercivity up to 1.5 T while maintaining a good magnetic texture.