Synthesis of Nd-Fe-B thin films with high coercive force by cosputtering

NdFeB thin films were prepared by cosputtering of the individual elements and the magnetic properties were studied as a function of the concentration of Nd and B in the films. The dependence of coercive force, saturation magnetization and the energy product (B/sub r//spl times/H/sub c/) on the composition are presented by three dimensional diagrams. High coercive force and high energy product was observed at Nd concentrations slightly higher than the stoichiometric composition. For a fixed composition, a dependence of coercive force as a function of thickness of the film was observed. The microstructure of the films also showed a variation as a function of thickness.