The effect of Al substitution on the structural and magnetic properties of epitaxial thin films of epsilon ferrite

Epitaxial growth of aluminum substituted epsilon ferrite by pulsed laser deposition on strontium titanate and yttrium-stabilized zirconium substrates is demonstrated for a wide range of aluminum substitution. Linear decrease of the out-of-plane lattice parameter with aluminum substitution correlates with the decrease of the coercive magnetic field, while the magnetization first increases and then decreases with increasing aluminum concentration. A characteristic inflexion in the hysteresis loops has been attributed to the presence of a small quantity of magnetite. Epitaxial growth on yttrium-stabilized zirconium is technologically significant due to its use as buffer layer for the growth of complex oxides on silicon. (C) 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.