SIMS measurements of oxygen content in the Nd2Fe14B phase

The oxygen concentration in Nd-Fe-B alloy was determined with secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) using Cs+-ions. The SIMS measurements were calibrated with oxygen-implanted single crystals. The depth profile of Nd2Fe14B single crystals displays a 0.5 μ m thick surface layer with elevated oxygen concentration which can be distinguished from the matrix with an oxygen content c(O) = 0.006± 0.002 at%. Polycrystalline samples can exceed this value by far and are sensitive to processing parameters and sample handling. SIMS measurements revealed the oxygen content of the Nd2Fe14B phase considerably lower than the total oxygen content of Nd-Fe-B samples. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.