There is an increasing demand for miniaturizing magnetic components such as inductors and transformers in power converters. This demand is driven by the decreasing size of electronic products and by the potential savings which might be achieved by integrating such components on integrated circuits. Magnetic components are typically the largest components by size and dissipate the most energy. Increasing the frequency at which converters operate can decrease the size of these components and increase their power handling capacity per unit area. However conventional soft magnetic materials are not optimized for operation at high frequencies where they exhibit undesirable characteristics such as high core loss. The primary goal of the research is to design and synthesize novel multi-layered nano-granular soft magnetic materials that can be used for high-frequency switched mode power converters. Properly characterizing the losses in the magnetic material from the context of it being used as a magnetic core is paramount in understanding the next steps needed to improve the material and the potential application in devices. Furthermore, to enable development of on-chip power converters, the synthesis methodology must be compatible with CMOS processes. In this thesis, several soft magnetic materials were synthesized using reactive sputtering. The synthesis process was thoroughly documented to ensure that the process can be easily repeated. A framework is also detailed that can be used for the thorough analysis of losses in a magnetic core and the framework is utilized to analyze the magnetic materials design. Two materials which are heavily emphasized in my work are Co-Zr-O and Ni-Fe-Zr-O. The basic characteristics of Co-Zr-O have been investigated in prior work and my work provides more detailed information on its performance under different operating and synthesis conditions. Ni-Fe-Zr-O is a newly designed granular material and its magnetic and loss characteristics are presented. After characterizing suitable materials, thick films were prepared as cores for inductors. Results of the performance of thick films are also presented.

The book aims to provide comprehensive and practical guidance on magnetism and magnetic materials. It involves four parts, focusing on fundamental magnetism, hard magnetic materials, soft magnetic materials and other functional magnetic materials. Part I highlights the ubiquity of magnetism and the close relationships between magnetic materials and our daily life. Perspectives on magnetism from Engineering and Physics are provided to introduce the two unit systems, followed by the origin and categories of magnetisms. An introduction of important parameters during magnetization and magnetic measurement techniques are then provided to lay a solid foundation for the readers for better understandings of the design and development of different magnetic materials. Important magnetic materials are then introduced in the subsequent parts, delivering an overview of design principles, production technologies, research developments and real-world applications. For instance, rare-earth-free and rare-earth-based hard magnetic materials as well as soft magnetic materials such as Fe-based alloys, composites and ferrites are discussed. Other functional magnetic materials span a wide range, involving smart materials with magneto-X effects, together with magnetic materials for applications including electromagnetic wave absorption, biomedicine and catalysis, etc. For these magnetic materials, more emphasis is placed on the latest advances and interdisciplinary perspectives.

In December 2002, the world's first commercial magnetic levitation super-train went into operation in Shanghai. The train is held just above the rails by magnetic levitation (maglev) and can travel at a speed of 400 km/hr, completing the 30km journey from the city to the airport in minutes. Now consumers are enjoying 50 GB hard drives compared to 0.5 GB hard drives ten years ago. Achievements in magnetic materials research have made dreams of a few decades ago reality. The objective of the four volume reference, Handbook of Advanced Magnetic Materials, is to provide a comprehensive review of recent progress in magnetic materials research. Each chapter will have an introduction to give a clear definition of basic and important concepts of the topic. The details of the topic are then elucidated theoretically and experimentally. New ideas for further advancement are then discussed. Sufficient references are also included for those who wish to read the original work. In the last decade, one of the most significant thrust areas of materials research has been nanostructured magnetic materials. There are several critical sizes that control the behavior of a magnetic material, and size effects become especially critical when dimensions approach a few nanometers, where quantum phenomena appear. The first volume of the book, Nanostructured Advanced Magnetic Materials, has therefore been devoted to the recent development of nanostructured magnetic materials, emphasizing size effects. Our understanding of magnetism has advanced with the establishment of the theory of atomic magnetic moments and itinerant magnetism. Simulation is a powerful tool for exploration and explanation of properties of various magnetic materials. Simulation also provides insight for further development of new materials. Naturally, before any simulation can be started, a model must be constructed. This requires that the material be well characterized. Therefore the second volume, Characterization and Simulation provides a comprehensive review of both experimental methods and simulation techniques for the characterization of magnetic materials. After an introduction, each section gives a detailed description of the method and the following sections provide examples and results of the method. Finally further development of the method will be discussed. The success of each type of magnetic material depends on its properties and cost which are directly related to its fabrication process. Processing of a material can be critical for development of artificial materials such as multilayer films, clusters, etc. Moreover, cost-effective processing usually determines whether a material can be commercialized. In recent years processing of materials has continuously evolved from improvement of traditional methods to more sophisticated and novel methods. The objective of the third volume, Processing of Advanced Magnetic Materials, is to provide a comprehensive review of recent developments in processing of advanced magnetic materials. Each chapter will have an introduction and a section to provide a detailed description of the processing method. The following sections give detailed descriptions of the processing, properties and applications of the relevant materials. Finally the potential and limitation of the processing method will be discussed. The properties of a magnetic material can be characterized by intrinsic properties such as anisotropy, saturation magnetization and extrinsic properties such as coercivity. The properties of a magnetic material can be affected by its chemical composition and processing route. With the continuous search for new materials and invention of new processing routes, magnetic properties of materials cover a wide spectrum of soft magnetic materials, hard magnetic materials, recording materials, sensor materials and others. The objective of the fourth volume, Properties and Applications of Advanced Magnetic Materials, is to provide a comprehensive review of recent development of various magnetic materials and their applications. Each chapter will have an introduction of the materials and the principles of their applications. The following sections give a detailed description of the processing, properties and applications. Finally the potential and limitation of the materials will be discussed.

Volume is indexed by Thomson Reuters CPCI-S (WoS). The objective of this special collection was to provide a forum for researchers, educators, engineers and government officials, involved in the general areas of soft magnetic materials, soft ferrites, powder cores, composite materials, thin films, metamaterials, magnetic measurements and instrumentation, to disseminate their latest research results and to exchange views on the future research directions of these fields.

This reprint is a collection of papers published in the Special Issue "Soft Magnetic Materials and Their Application". The aim of this Special Issue was to present the latest achievements in the synthesis, fundamentals, characterization, and applications of soft magnetic materials, including soft ferrites, alloys, and composites, together with their processing technology, characterization, and applications in electronics, motors, wave absorbing, sensors, communications, etc. Seventeen papers are published in this Special Issue. For convenience of reading, these papers can be divided into four categories according to the contents of their studies: I. Soft Ferrite Materials; II. Soft Magnetic Alloys and Composites; III. Characterization of Soft Magnetic Materials; and IV. Applications of Soft Magnetic Materials.

Magnetic Materials and their Applications discusses the principles and concepts behind magnetic materials and explains their applications in the fields of physics and engineering. The book covers topics such as the principal concepts and definitions related to magnetism; types of magnetic materials and their electrical and mechanical properties; and the different factors influencing magnetic behavior. The book also covers topics such as permanent-magnet materials; magnetic materials in heavy-current engineering; and the different uses of magnetic materials. The text is recommended for physicists and electrical engineers who would like to know more about magnetic materials and their applications in the field of electronics.