PNNL

Abstract

Iron oxide films were deposited onto Si substrates using ion-beam-assisted deposition. The films were ~300 nm thick polycrystalline magnetite with an average crystallite size of ~6 nm. Additionally, incorporation of significant fractions of argon in the films from ion bombardment is evident from chemical analysis, and Fe/O ratios are lower than expected from pure magnetite. However, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction both indicate that the films are single-phase magnetite. Since no direct evidence of a second phase could be found, exchange bias likely arises due to defects at grain boundaries, possibly amorphous, creating frustrated spins. Since these samples have such small grains, a large fraction of the material consists of grain boundaries, where spins are highly disordered and reverse independently with external field. The high energy deposition process results in an oxygen-rich, argon-containing magnetite film with low temperature exchange bias due to defects at the high concentration of grain boundaries.