Texture and magnetic properties of hard magnetic RE–Fe–B thin films deposited on a Nb buffer layer

RE–Fe–B thin films with a strong c-axis texture were prepared by dc magnetron sputtering on to a Nb (1 1 0) buffer layer on thermally oxidized Si substrates. The microstructure and magnetic properties of these RE–Fe–B films were studied as a function of the deposition temperature and Fe:RE ratio. The degree of c-axis orientation improved with decreasing deposition temperature. Good perpendicular hard magnetic properties could be obtained over a wide substrate temperature and concentration range. Perpendicular coercivities up to 1.67 MA/m (2.1 T) were obtained for RE-rich films, while perpendicular maximum energy products up to 200 kJ/m 3 were achieved for high Fe content films. Our results show that Nb, as for Ta, is a suitable buffer layer for deposition of highly textured hard magnetic RE 2Fe 14B films.