Yttria-stabilized zirconia: a suitable substrate for c-axis preferred Nd-Fe-B thin films fabricated by pulsed-laser deposition

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates were used to fabricate Nd-Fe-B thin films from a Nd13.5Fe80.0B6.5 target by pulsed-laser deposition at tem perature of 500-690 degreesC and under varied ambient Ar pressure. Grown on (1 0 0) YSZ, the main phase in as-deposited Nd-Fe-B films is tetragonal Nd 2Fe14B, which tends to orient its c-axis perpendicular to the substrate sur face. YSZ is found to be chemically compatible with Nd-Fe-B film, yielding a sharp film/substrate interface and a short inter-diffusion length (30-40 nm) of Y and Zr in the film. Large fluctuations of magnetic properties in t erms of 4 piM(s) (0.3-1.5 T), M-r/M-s ratio (0.4-0.7) and H-c (200-1050 Oe) associated with fluctuation in surface morphology and surface particle den sity were observed, indicating that magnetic properties of the films depend greatly on their microstructure rather than chemical composition. YSZ subs trate appears to be a suitable candidate for the study of structure depende nce on the magnetic property of Nd-Fe-B films. Optimization of the fabricat ion parameters for Nd-Fe-B film on YSZ may lead to novel applications, wher e YSZ serves as both diffusion barrier and lattice matching buffer on subst rates such as Si. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.