The effect of MgO(111) interlayer on the interface phase stability and structure of BaFe12O19/SiC(0001)

Abstract

We present a study on the effect of an interlayer of thin MgO(111) film on SiC(0001) on the interface phase stability and structure of the BaFe12O19 (BaM). The 10 nm MgO(111) interlayer followed by the BaM film were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on 6H-SiC. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy shows the formation of a magnesium ferrite spinel phase at the interface, and after 25 nm, a well structured BaM film was observed. In addition to the two main phases (Mg-ferrite and BaM), a thin layer of SiOx (2–3 nm) is formed at the SiC interface. In spite of the formation of this amorphous layer, the diffraction studies show that the BaM film is epitaxially grown and it has a single crystal structure. The energy dispersive x-ray analysis from the interface region shows that the MgO layer prevents significant outdiffusion of the Si into the film. Total energy calculations by density functional theory were used to investigate the stability of the various phases and to explain the observed interfacial phases in the studied system.