Method for producing high-purity neodymium, highly pure neodymium, high purity sputtering targets

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PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED : To provide a high purity neodymium which has a purity excluding rare earth elements and gas components of 5 N or more, and has contents of rare earth elements and those of transition metal elements excluding Ta of 1 wt.ppm or less respectively, and to provide a technique for efficiently and stably providing the high purity neodymium, a sputtering target composed of the high purity neodymium, and a permanent magnet including the high purity neodymium as a component.SOLUTION : A neodymium crystal is obtained by putting a neodymium raw material having a purity excluding gas components of 4 N or less into a molten salt electrolytic bath, and conducting molten salt electrolysis at a bath temperature of 600-700°C. Next, the neodymium crystal is subjected to demineralization treatment, and subsequently is subjected to induction melting and/or to electron beam melting so that the neodymium crystal of a purity excluding rare earth elements and gas components of 5 N or more is obtained.