Abstract
We have grown single-crystal Co ferrite (CoFe2O4) on MgO(0 0 1) by oxygen-plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (OPA-MBE), and have characterized the composition, structure, surface morphology, and magnetic properties by a number of methods. The as-grown OPA-MBE material forms a perfect inverse spinel, in which all Co is in the 2+ formal oxidation state, and occupies octahedral sites within the cation sublattice. The OPA-MBE film surfaces are very flat, with mean roughnesses of only a few Å, and exhibit large, stable magnetic domains. The measured moment per unit volume is 250 emu/cm3, and the saturation magnetization for films in the 1000 Å film thickness range is ∼60% of that of bulk Co ferrite. The material also exhibits strain-dependent magnetic anisotropy that can be understood by considering the various contributions to the total magnetic energy. The overall quality of epitaxial Co ferrite grown on MgO by OPA-MBE is superior in every respect to that obtained using pulsed laser deposition as the growth method.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 124-139 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials |
Volume | 246 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cobalt ferrite
- Magnetic and structural properties
- Molecular beam epitaxy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics