Magnetic Properties of Amorphous Fe<i>x</i> Gd<i>y</i> Alloy Thin Films

Abstract

The magnetism of pure iron and gadolinium films, and of Fex Gdy alloy thin films with 15 to 94 at.% iron prepared by codeposition on a cold (77 °K) substrate were measured at 77 °K and at room temperature. All the alloys had an amorphous structure that was stable to room temperature. The amorphous alloys were found to be ferrimagnetic. The magnitude of the magnetization in rare-earth transition-metal alloys does not appear to be structure sensitive since the magnetization of the amorphous alloys follows a linear concentration dependence calculated from an antiparallel coupling of the magnetic moments of crystalline iron and gadolinium.