Thermal and irradiation induced interdiffusion in magnetite thin films grown on magnesium oxide (001) substrates

Epitaxial Fe3O4(0 0 1) thin films (with a thickness in the range of 10–20 nm) grown on MgO substrates were characterized using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) and investigated using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), channeling (RBS-C) experiments and X-ray reflectometry (XRR). The Mg out-diffusion from the MgO substrate into the film was observed for the directly-deposited Fe3O4/MgO(0 0 1) films. For the Fe3O4/Fe/MgO(0 0 1) films, the Mg diffusion was prevented by the Fe layer and the surface layer is always a pure Fe3O4 layer. Annealing and ion beam mixing induced a very large interface zone having a spinel and/or wustite formula in the Fe3O4-on-Fe film system

Thermal and irradiation induced interdiffusion in Fe3O4/MgO(0 0 1) thin film

The interface reactions in an epitaxial 10 nm-thick Fe3O4/MgO(0 0 1) film were investigated by using Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry (RBS), channeling (RBS-C) and X-ray reflectometry (XRR). The as-grown film had a good crystallinity indicated by the minimum yield and the half-angle value for Fe, respectively, [chi]min(Fe) = 22% and [psi]1/2(Fe) = 0.62°. Annealing the films under partial argon pressure up to 600 °C led to a large enhancement of Mg out-diffusion into the film forming a wustite-type phase, but the total layer thickness did not change much. Ion irradiation of the film by 1 MeV Ar ion beam caused a strong Fe ion mixing resulting in a large interfacial zone with a thickness of 23 nm

Structure, composition and crystallinity of epitaxial magnetite thin films

Epitaxially-grown Fe3O4(0 0 1) thin films by reactive deposition on MgO(1 0 0) substrates were studied using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), channeling (RBS-C) experiments and X-ray reflectometry (XRR). No visible influence from the ion irradiation of the samples on the CEMS spectra was found, while surface oxidation of the samples was observed after exposure to the atmospheric pressure. RBS analysis indicated the presence of magnesium with an average amount of 3% in the films. RBS-C experiments yielded a value of 22% for the minimum yield of Fe and a value of 0.62° for the half-angle for Fe in the film indicating a good crystal quality of the films. The value for film-thickness obtained from XRR is in a good agreement with that from RBS and the nominal value