STRUCTURAL AND MAGNETIC-PROPERTIES OF CHEMICALLY VAPOR-DEPOSITED IRON-OXIDE THIN-FILMS

Iron oxide thin films have been deposited by a chemical vapour deposition process from a metal-organic iron acetyl acetate source using Ar-O2 gas mixture transport. As-deposited films are essentially alpha-Fe2O3. They are transformed by a reduction-oxidation process to Fe3O4 and gamma-Fe2O3 phases as revealed by electron diffraction studies. Microstructural changes and the magnetic properties of the iron oxide thin films as they transform into different states have been studied. These provide new information on the mechanism and transformation kinetics.