Structure and magnetic properties of epitaxial spinel ferrite thin films

We have grown epitaxial spinel ferrite thin films of (Mn,Zn) Fe2O4 and CoFe2O4 on (100) and (110) SrTiO3 and MgAl2O4 buffered by spinel structure buffer layers. High quality spinel ferrite films were grown at 400 degrees C on buffer layers that were grown at 600 degrees C and postannealed at 1000 degrees C. Although (Mn,Zn) Fe2O4 grown directly on SrTiO3 and MgAl2O4 shows mediocre structural and magnetic properties, ferrite films grown on (100) and (110) SrTiO3 and MgAl2O4 buffered with CoCr2O4 exhibit excellent crystallinity and bulk saturation magnetization values, thus indicating the importance of lattice match and structural similarity between the film and the immediately underlying layer. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.