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Magnetic Field-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition of Iron Oxide Thin Films: Influence of Field-Matter Interactions on Phase Composition and Morphology.

Daniel StadlerDavid N MuellerThomas BredeThomas DuchoňThomas FischerAnirban SarkarMargret GiesenClaus M SchneiderCynthia A VolkertSanjay Mathur
Published in: The journal of physical chemistry letters (2019)
Magnetic field-assisted CVD offers a direct pathway to manipulate the evolution of microstructure, phase composition, and magnetic properties of the as-prepared film. We report on the role of applied magnetic fields (0.5 T) during a cold-wall CVD deposition of iron oxide from [FeIII(OtBu)3]2 leading to higher crystallinity, larger particulates, and better out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy, if compared with zero-field depositions. Whereas selective formation of homogeneous magnetite films was observed for the field-assisted process, coexistence of hematite and amorphous iron(III) oxide was confirmed under zero-field conditions. Comparison of the coercive field (11 vs 60 mT) indicated lower defect concentration for the field-assisted process with nearly superparamagnetic behavior. X-ray photoemission electron microscopy (X-PEEM) in absorption mode at the O-K and Fe-L3,2 edges confirmed the selective formation of magnetite (field-assisted) and hematite (zero-field) with coexisting amorphous phases, respectively, emphasizing the importance of field-matter interactions in the phase-selective synthesis of magnetic thin films.
Keyphrases
  • iron oxide
  • molecularly imprinted
  • room temperature
  • magnetic resonance imaging
  • high resolution
  • computed tomography
  • mass spectrometry
  • tandem mass spectrometry