Magnetic microstructure of nanocrystalline FeCuNbSiB soft magnets

The soft magnetic properties and the domain patterns of optimized nanocrystalline FeCuNbSiB-alloys are typically comparable to those of highly permeable Co-based amorphous alloys. Yet the nanocrystalline alloys show some specific peculiarities absent in the amorphous case. The most prominent example is patchy magnetization patterns which reflect the residual contribution of the averaged random magneto-crystalline anisotropy to the magnetization process. The article surveys the typical characteristics and the consequences for the magnetization process.