IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY AND XPS COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE STATE OF BORON ATOMS IN AN AMORPHOUS METALLIC MATRIX

The purpose of this study is to compare the investigations of amorphou s magnetic ribbons combining the usual structural methods with physica l impedance spectroscopy (PIS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (X PS), The samples are commercially available rapidly quenched ribbons f or torroidal transformers, Two types of ribbons were thermally treated below the temperature of amorphous-crystalline phase transition. Two binding energies of B 1s electrons are determined by XPS in one of the as-quenched ribbons, which show impedance time constant spectra witho ut dispersion, The other ribbon, possessing only one value of binding energy of the B 1s electron (B-I state) in a rapidly as-quenched state , undergoes transition to a still amorphous state but acquires high el ectromagnetic losses and show another value of the binding energy of t he B 1s electron (B-II state) after the heat-treatment procedure, This latter type of ribbons show structural impedance spectra containing v arious time constant values. (C) 1997 Academic Press.