Magnetostriction of sputtered Sm-Fe thin films

The magnetostriction and the magnetic properties of amorphous Sm/sub x/Fe/sub 100-x/ thin films prepared by sputtering are investigated at room temperature. The magnetostriction, - lambda , of these films increases rapidly in low fields (<1 kOe) and reaches the maximum values of 300-400*10/sup -6/ at 16 kOe for x=30-40. These results suggest that Sm-Fe thin films could be used for microactuators. The magnetic properties of Sm-Fe thin films do not show clear dependence on the sputtering conditions, such as input power, Ar gas pressure, and substrate temperature.<
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