Use of Ga_2O_3[100] monocrystals as substrates for the synthesis of GaFeO_3 thin films

Abstract

The aim of this work is to explore the use of thermal oxidation for the synthesis of GaFeO_3 (GFO) thin films, by employing ex situ annealed samples comprised of sputtered Fe_72Ga_28 layers deposited on top of Ga_2O_3 [1 0 0] monocrystals. To avoid Ga evaporation, Fe_72Ga_28 were capped with 60 nm-thick Mo. No surface damaged was observed when annealed between 200 degrees C and 400 degrees C. Indications of GFO formation have been obtained by X-ray diffractometry in samples with a FeGa thickness of 560 nm annealed at 300 degrees C and 400 degrees C. The hysteresis loops exhibit a coercive field close to the reported value for GFO when annealed at 400 degrees C. All the experimental results encourage the application of this growth routine to synthetize high quality GFO thin films.