Patent ID: 7892365

Claim:
A rare-earth-iron-boron based alloy comprising: a first texture layer having gaps; and a second texture layer on the first texture layer, wherein the first texture layer accounts for less than 10 vol % of the overall alloy, the first texture layer consisting essentially of R 2 Fe 14 B crystals (where R is at least one element selected from the group consisting of the rare-earth elements and yttrium) with an average minor-axis size of less than 20 μm, wherein the second texture layer comprises columnar R 2 Fe 14 B crystals, the columnar R 2 Fe 14 B crystals having an average minor-axis size of 20 μm to 110 μm, and wherein rare-earth-rich phases are dispersed at an average interval of 50 μm or less in the columnar R 2 Fe 14 B crystals of the second texture layer.