Preparation of epitaxial Fe3−xO4 films by dipping-pyrolysis process using CO−CO2 gas mixtures

Abstract

Epitaxially grown Fe3−xO4 films were prepared on MgO(001) substrates by dipping-pyrolysis process using CO–CO2 gas mixtures. The structure and in-plane alignment of these films were examined by x-ray diffraction θ-2θ scans, β scans (pole figures), and asymmetric ω-2θ scans (reciprocal-space maps). The films heattreated at 500 °C and higher in an atmosphere with pCO/pCO2 = 10−4 had a spinel-type structure and were in an epitaxial (cube on cube) relationship with the substrates.