Study of site-disorder in epitaxial magneto-electric GaFeO3 thin films

Epitaxial thin films of GaFeO3 (GFO) with different thicknesses (22-170 nm) are prepared on (001) oriented yttria-stabilized zirconia substrate using pulsed laser deposition. The M-H data measured below Curie temperature (T-C) mimic two phase composite magnetic system consisting of hard and soft magnetic phases. The results are explained in terms of Fe distribution among the available cation sites of GFO. Thermo-magnetic irreversibility and cusp in zero-field cooled magnetization are observed for all the films and are explained in terms of the magnetic anisotropy of the GFO. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.