Domain structures in "non-magnetostrictive" Co₆₇Fe₄Cr₇Si₈B₁₄ wide ribbons

Abstract
The domain structure of as-cast 60 mm wide ribbons of a "non-magnetostrictive" metallic glass was studied by means of SEM and computer-aided magnetooptic Kerr effect. Various types of domain structure were observed along the ribbon width. The comparison of the structure on the shiny and wheel sides of the ribbon showed that the wide stripe domains extend through the whole thickness of the ribbon. The changes of the surface domain structure with the applied magnetic field made it possible to conclude that this structure is rather connected to the magnetization of the interior domains than to their wall-associated fields. The nonhomogeneous heat transfer during the production of wide ribbons and the associated temperature gradients across the ribbon width lead to a distribution of directions and magnitudes of local axes of effective anisotropy. The observations of the domain structures proved to be a useful tool for mapping these distributions and domain topography even in a material with rather low magnetostriction.