Abstract
La1−yFey alloys sputter-deposited on water-cooled substrates have been investigated by X-ray diffraction, magnetization and Mössbauer effect measurements. Although La and Fe are immiscible with each other in the room temperature equilibrium state, the sputter-deposited La1−yFey alloys show a following solubility diagram: a dhcp-fcc mixed phase for y<0.1, a dhcp-fcc-amorphous mixed phase for 0.1<y<0.65, an amorphous phase for 0.65<y<0.83, an amorphous-bcc mixed phase for 0.83<y<0.96 and a bcc phase for y>0.96. The crystallization temperature monotonically increases with increasing y in the single amorphous phase region, while it decreases in the amorphous-bcc phase boundary and shows small concentration dependence in the two phase region. The Fe-rich La1−yFey alloys are ferromagnetic at low temperatures and the saturation magnetic moment of Fe atoms is about 2 μB and nearly constant for y>0.3. On the contrary, it rapidly decreases with decreasing y for y<0.3.
