Growth temperature effect on the structural and magnetic properties of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} films grown by the self-template method

Journal Article · Mon Jul 21 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4890510· OSTI ID:22308485

Misumi, H.; Lippmaa, M. ^[1]

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1. Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581 (Japan)

We have investigated the effect of growth temperature on the structure, surface morphology, and magnetic properties of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films grown on SrTiO{sub 3}(001) substrates by a self-template method. To eliminate the intermixing of (001) and (111) orientations that usually occurs in spinel films grown on perovskite substrates, a thin self-template layer of (001)-oriented Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} was deposited on a SrTiO{sub 3}(001) substrate at 400 °C prior to the main film growth at temperatures of up to 1100 °C. Increasing the growth temperature from 400 °C to 1100 °C resulted in greatly improved crystallinity of the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} thin films, with the rocking curve width dropping from 1.41° to 0.28°. Surface analysis by atomic force microscopy showed that raising the growth temperature increased the grain size and the surface roughness, ultimately leading to the formation of regular nanopyramid arrays at 1100 °C. The surface roughening and pyramid formation are caused by the dominance of the lowest surface energy spinel (111) crystal facet. The nanopyramids were fully relaxed but still perfectly (001)-oriented in the out-of-plane direction. The largest pyramids had the lowest coercivity due to a reduction of the demagnetization effect.

• OSTI ID: 22308485
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 116, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY
COERCIVE FORCE
CRYSTAL GROWTH
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DEMAGNETIZATION
GRAIN SIZE
IRON OXIDES
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
NANOSTRUCTURES
NEUTRON DIFFRACTION
PEROVSKITE
ROUGHNESS
SPINELS
STRONTIUM TITANATES
SUBSTRATES
SURFACE ENERGY
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE RANGE 1000-4000 K
THIN FILMS