Soft magnetic properties of nanostructured FINEMET alloy powder cores

The soft magnetic properties of mechanically alloyed nanostructured FINEMET powder cores were studied using magnetic measurements and impedance spectroscopy. The initial permeability of the nanostructured powder core was found to be constant up to 5 MHz frequency range. The minor addition of Al for Si significantly improves the softness of the FINEMET alloys. The optimum initial permeability and minimum core losses were obtained for 1 at.% of Al addition. This study shows the possibility of using nanostructured powder cores for high frequency applications.