AMORPHOUS FERROMAGNETIC MATERIAL WITH ULTRA-LOW EDDY CURRENTLOSSES

COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE AMORPHOUS MAGNETIC MATERIALS PREPARED BY RAPID QUENCHING FROM THE MELT ARE RESTRICTED IN THICKNESS TO THE RANGE OF APPROXIMATELY 0.5 MILS TO 5 MILS AND CANNOT BE FORMED DIRECTLY ONTO SUBSTRATES. MANY PRIOR WORKERS HAVE USED SPUTTERING TO DEPOSIT SMALL SAMPLES OF AMORPHOUS THIN FILMS, BUT THE REQUIRED TARGETS CONTAINING LARGE AMOUNTS OF METALLOIDS TEND TO BE FRAGILE AND EXPENSIVE. AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF THIN FILM DEPOSITION WILL BE DEVELOPED, WHICH WILL BE WELL SUITED TO RELIABLE MANUFACTURING WITHOUT SACRIFICING ANY OF THE VERSATILITY REQUIRED IN R&D ACTIVITIES. THIS METHOD CAN BE USED TO DEPOSIT AMORPHOUS MAGNETIC MATERIALS DIRECTLY ONTO SUBSTRATES FOR MONOLITHIC INTEGRATED DEVICES, BUT IT WILL ALSO LEND ITSELF TO THE DEPOSITION OF THICK MULTILAYERED STACKS ON THIN SUBSTRATE TAPES. THESE TAPES COULD THEN BE WOUND INTO TOROIDS AND USED FOR FAST RISETIME MAGNETIC MODULATORS, VHF/UHF INDUCTORS, AND THE LIKE. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL SET UP THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT, DEPOSIT THIN MULTILAYERED SAMPLES WITH CHEMICAL COMPOSITION SIMILAR TO METGLASR, MEASURE THE HIGH FREQUENCY MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF THE SAMPLES, AND DETERMINE THEIR PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION.