Effect of Mn on the magnetic and electrical properties of Ho <inf>0.85</inf>Tb<inf>0.15</inf>Fe<inf>2</inf>

Magnetic and electrical transport studies have been carried out on Ho 0.85Tb0.15Fe2-[x = 0-2] in the temperature range 5-300 K. The saturation magnetization at 5 K is found to increase with increasing Mn content due to the absence of Mn moments. The temperature variation of magnetization reveals several spin reorientation transitions and these are compared with the ac susceptibility results. Electrical resisitvity reveals the dominance of electron magnon scattering at low temperatures and electron-phonon scattering at high temperatures. © 2006 IEEE.