Preparation of oriented CoO(0 0 1) films on MgO(0 0 1) by sol–gel two-steps method

Abstract

Epitaxial films of CoO (0 0 1) on MgO (0 0 1) at relatively low temperatures from Co-acetylacetone precursor were prepared by sol–gel method. The rapid heat treatment (RHT—800°C) promotes the (oriented) growth of CoO (0 0 1) on MgO (0 0 1). FT-IR investigation of the dried gel shows the transformation of Co-diketonate to CoO when heated to 800°C. The microstructure of the prepared films was investigated by SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD). XRD pattern shows the (oriented) growth of CoO (0 0 1) on MgO (0 0 1). The lattice mismatch of CoO ( a=0.426 nm) with MgO ( a=0.421 nm) is 1.2%. A further calculation of the microstress and strain occurred of the prepared films show that the strain in x and y direction are equal (−0.0114) and in Z direction (0.0112).