Reducing core losses in amorphous Fe/sub 80/B/sub 12/Si/sub 8/ ribbons by laser-induced domain refinement

In transformer cores amorphous metallic ribbons are competitive substitutes for silicon-iron laminates due to their low values of core loss. Research has been conducted to further improve performance by using techniques that can reduce core losses in the metallic ribbons. One way of reducing core loss is to anneal the samples in a magnetic field. However, further reductions in core loss are possible by scribing the surface of the ribbons using a laser beam. The scribing pattern can lead to a refined domain structure and reduced excess loss. It has been found that under suitable processing conditions, core loss can be further reduced by as much as 20% by laser scribing.