Magnetic domain structures of overquenched Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets studied by electron holography

Microstructures and magnetic domain structures of overquenched Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets have been investigated in detail by transmission electron microscopy. While magnetic domain boundaries are clarified by Lorentz microscopy, magnetization distribution in the domains is clearly observed by electron holography. In the as-quenched magnet, the size of the magnetic domains is in the range from 200 to 500nm and the direction of the magnetic lines of force changes gradually in wide region, while in the annealed one having the crystalline phase of Nd₂Fe₁₄B, the direction of the magnetic lines of force changes drastically especially at the grain boundaries. Furthermore, the direction of the magnetic lines of force changes more drastically in the specimen annealed at 893K than the specimen annealed at 843K. This result clearly indicates that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy is enhanced with the increase of annealing temperature, resulting in strong domain wall pinning.