New metastable alloy phase in Mn-Bi system produced by crystallization of amorphous films

Abstract

The crystallization of amorphous Mn-Bi films in a composition range of 65 to 85 at% Mn was investigated using electron microscopy. The first product of the crystallization is a new alloy phase which cannot be identified as anyone already reported for this system. At a higher temperature, this new phase transforms into the superlattice of the quenched high temperature phase of ferromagnetic MnBi. By investigation of its electron diffraction patterns, it is concluded that the new phase has a hexagonal crystal lattice with lattice constants of a = 19.97 Å and c = 4.49 Å.