High-intensity pulsed ion beam treatment of amorphous iron-based metal alloy

Abstract The results of intense pulsed ion beam (IPIB) treatment of the soft magnetic amorphous alloy of a FINEMET-type are presented. Foil produced from the alloy was irradiated with short (about 100 ns) pulses of carbon ions and protons with energy of up to 300 keV and an energy density of up to 7 J/cm2. X-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements were used to investigate structural and magnetic properties of irradiated foils. It is shown that the foil remains intact after the treatment, and the crystal structure still amorphous. Spontaneous magnetization vector is found to lie almost along perpendicular to the foil plane after irradiation, whereas for the initial amorphous foil it belongs to the plane. The magnetic properties of the foil undergo changes: the coercive force decreases, the saturation induction increases slightly, and the magnetization curve has shallower slope.