PERMANENT MAGNET WITH INTER-GRAIN HEAVY-RARE-EARTH ELEMENT, AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME

A manufacturing method of a sintered magnet is described. The method comprises forming a pre-sintering body from a first magnetic powder and a second magnetic powder (containing a heavy rare earth element, HRE) so that at least part of the second magnetic powder is provided at at least one inner portion of the pre-sintering body and surrounded from at least two opposite sides by the first magnetic powder; sintering the pre-sintering body; and annealing the sintered pre-sintering body at an annealing temperature lower than the sintering temperature, thereby causing inter-grain diffusion of HRE from the HRE reservoir zone to the grain boundary phase. After the annealing, the grain boundary phase contains the HRE in a higher concentration than the main phase.