This is a continuation of research previously supported under NSF Grant DMR-8313295. Several interesting and unusual features of sequentially deposited magnetic thin films. Many extrinsic properties of magnets such as coercive field are readily controlled by the layering process. A new type of ferrimagnetic behavior is obtained when the compensating electron spins are not contained within a microscopic unit cell. The study of the changes in magnetic properties during amorphous phase transitions leads to new insight into the nature of the transitions. The research under this grant is a detailed study of the sharp switching behavior of thin magnetostrictive thin layers, the switching behavior of very soft multilayered films, the magnetostriction of the pure compounds as well as their layered configuration, and the occurrence of spinodal decomposition in the amorphous state of some of the magnets. The new layered materials show potential for application as magnetic recording media for computers and information storage.
