Magnetic Properties of Spinel Ferrite Thin Films Grown by Reactive Sputtering

We report the crystal structure and magnetic properties of spinel ferrite thin films of magnetite, maghemite, and cobalt ferrite grown by reactive magnetron sputtering. The magnetic properties of spinel ferrite films, in particular saturation magnetization, are affected by the growth conditions, even when no significant difference is found in the crystal structures. Comparing films grown by molecular beam epitaxy with those produced by reactive magnetron sputtering, we found that the latter technique produces larger saturation magnetization than the bulk. Therefore, sputtering can be considered the suitable method for preparing various spinel ferrite compounds.