The variation with composition of the magnetic properties of amorphous Fe--P--B alloys obtained by splat-cooling is discussed. For a given Fe concentration, the magnetic moment per atom anti mu and the Curie temperature T/sub c/ both increase with the substitution of B for P. The variation of anti mu and T/sub c/ as a function of the B content had the same discontinuity as that occurring between the two phases epsilon and psilon sub 1 of the crystalline Fe sub 3 P/sub 1-x/B/sub x/ compounds. The variation of anti mu and T/sub c/ was also studied when one metalloid (P or B) substitutes for Fe, the other metalloid remaining constant. The value of anti mu was found to decrease when the P or B content is increased, as expected from a rigid band model. In the same concentration range, T/sub c/ increases with either P or B. The different behaviors of anti mu and T/sub c/ are tentatively explained by assuming that the amorphous Fe has two magnetic states (ferro and antiferromagnetic) as already suggested for crystalline Fe in a fcc environment. (ERA citation 01:023967)
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