Provided is a sputtering target or a film which is characterized by containing 0.1 to 10 mol % of an oxide of one or more types selected from FeO, Fe.sub.3O.sub.4, K.sub.2O, Na.sub.2O, PbO, and ZnO, 5 to 70 mol % of Pt, and the remainder being Fe. The present invention addresses the issue of providing a sputtering target capable of considerably reducing the particles caused by nonmagnetic materials and significantly improving the yield during deposition. It is thereby possible to deposit a quality magnetic recording layer and improve yield of a magnetic recording medium.

A permanent magnet having a periodic structure with the concentrations of Fe and T (T is one or more transition metal elements with Co or Ni as necessity) changing alternately, wherein, the concentrations change with a period of 3.3 nm or less and the concentration difference of Fe in the concentration change is 5 at % or more. The permanent magnet has a high saturation magnetization Is and coercivity HcJ and can be prepared even without rare earth element(s) R.

The present invention provides a thin film structural body comprising a sapphire substrate having a principal plane of a {11-26} plane and a first epitaxial thin film which is grown directly on the principal plane of the sapphire substrate and has a principal plane of a {100} plane. As one example, in a fabrication method of the thin film structural body, a first epitaxial thin film is grown on a principal plane of a {11-26} plane of the sapphire substrate. The grown first epitaxial thin film has a principal plane of a {100} plane.

The present invention provides a thin film structural body comprising a sapphire substrate having a principal plane of a {11-26} plane and a first epitaxial thin film which is grown directly on the principal plane of the sapphire substrate and has a principal plane of a {100} plane. As one example, in a fabrication method of the thin film structural body, a first epitaxial thin film is grown on a principal plane of a {11-26} plane of the sapphire substrate. The grown first epitaxial thin film has a principal plane of a {100} plane.

A film formation apparatus includes a target containing a magnetic material, a support that supports a substrate and locates the substrate in an arrangement region opposing the target, and a magnetic field formation unit located at a side of the arrangement region opposite to the target. The magnetic field formation unit forms a horizontal magnetic field parallel to an oscillation direction, which is one direction extending along the substrate, at a side of the arrangement region where the target is located. The magnetic field formation unit oscillates the horizontal magnetic field in the oscillation direction at least between one end of the arrangement region and another end of the arrangement region in the oscillation direction.

A film formation apparatus includes a target containing a magnetic material, a support that supports a substrate and locates the substrate in an arrangement region opposing the target, and a magnetic field formation unit located at a side of the arrangement region opposite to the target. The magnetic field formation unit forms a horizontal magnetic field parallel to an oscillation direction, which is one direction extending along the substrate, at a side of the arrangement region where the target is located. The magnetic field formation unit oscillates the horizontal magnetic field in the oscillation direction at least between one end of the arrangement region and another end of the arrangement region in the oscillation direction.

Provided are a magneto-optical material capable of enhancing the tunable range of magneto-optical properties such as the Faraday rotation angle, and a method for producing the same. The temperature of a substrate 20 is controlled to a first temperature within the range of 300 to 800 [? C.], and the atmospheric pressure of the substrate 20 is controlled to 1.0?10.sup.?4 [Pa] or less (first step). Using a composite target or plurality of individual targets of a TCO material exhibiting ENZ properties in the infrared wavelength region, together with a magnetic metal, a magneto-optical material 10 is deposited on the substrate 20 while the temperature of the substrate 20 is controlled to a second temperature within the range of 300 to 800 [? C.], and the atmospheric pressure of the substrate 20 is controlled to the range of 0.1 to 10 [Pa] (second step).

Provided are a power generation element, an encoder, and a method of manufacturing a magnetic member capable of increasing generated power. Power generation element includes magnetic member that produces a large Barkhausen effect, coil wound around magnetic member, and ferrite member provided at an end of magnetic member to be aligned with coil along a winding axis direction of coil. Ferrite member includes main body located inside columnar space and protrusion connected to main body and located outside columnar space. Columnar space is surrounded by a virtual plane when it is assumed that an outer edge of coil when viewed from the winding axis direction of coil is extended to both sides of the coil in the winding axis direction of coil, and is sandwiched between two virtual planes that are in contact with both ends of magnetic member in the winding axis direction of coil and are orthogonal to the winding axis direction.

Provided are a power generation element, an encoder, and a method of manufacturing a magnetic member capable of increasing generated power. Power generation element includes magnetic member that produces a large Barkhausen effect, coil wound around magnetic member, and ferrite member provided at an end of magnetic member to be aligned with coil along a winding axis direction of coil. Ferrite member includes main body located inside columnar space and protrusion connected to main body and located outside columnar space. Columnar space is surrounded by a virtual plane when it is assumed that an outer edge of coil when viewed from the winding axis direction of coil is extended to both sides of the coil in the winding axis direction of coil, and is sandwiched between two virtual planes that are in contact with both ends of magnetic member in the winding axis direction of coil and are orthogonal to the winding axis direction.

A ferromagnetic free layer, a preparation method and an application thereof are provided, where the ferromagnetic layer includes a magnetic film alloy, and the magnetic film alloy includes multiple layers of laminated films. A thickness of each of the films decreases gradually from a first end to a second end of the magnetic film alloy, so as to break in-plane structural symmetry of the magnetic film alloy, and the films include heavy metal films and ferromagnetic metal films, where out-of-plane crystal symmetry of the magnetic film alloy is broken by means of component gradients. When a current is applied in plane of the magnetic film alloy, a spin orbit torque will be generated, which directly drives the magnetic moment of the magnetic film alloy to undergo a deterministic magnetization reversal.