Barkhausen noise in variable thickness finemet films

We measured the statistical properties of Barkhausen noise in finemet films with nominal composition Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si22.5B4 and variable thickness between 25 and 1000 nm. Films have been sputtered on glass substrates and their structure is amorphous. The critical exponents of the power-law distributions for the jumps amplitude show a remarkable stability over the whole thickness range, whereas the other macroscopic magnetic properties undergo strong variations. The value of the critical exponent is about 0.8 between 50 and 500 nm with a small increase up to 1.0 at 1000 nm. These values are similar to those observed with the same experimental technique in other two-dimensional 2D systems, but definitely smaller with respect to the values observed in truly three-dimensional 3D systems. Our data therefore indicate that, in the investigated thickness range, the behavior remains typical of 2D systems. The small increase of the critical exponent at 1000 nm might be an indication of a starting transition toward a 3D behavior.