Magnetic properties of c-axis textured Nd/sub 2/Fe/sub 14/B thin films

Thin films of Nd/sub 2/Fe/sub 14/B (/spl sim/30-60 nm) were grown with c-axis texture by means of molecular beam epitaxy. A two-phase structure is observed in both the X-ray diffraction and the hysteresis loops, due to an interfacial reaction during the initial growth. Coercivities are 1-2 T at 20 K, and the anisotropy fields are bulk-like. Microstructural analysis by atomic and magnetic force microscopies reveal lateral grain sizes of /spl sim/200 nm, which could explain the hard magnetic properties.