Effect of annealing in the formation of well crystallized and textured SrFe$_{12}$O$_{19}$ films grown by RF magnetron sputtering

TL;DR

This study investigates how annealing affects the crystalline structure and magnetic properties of SrFe12O19 films grown by RF magnetron sputtering, revealing significant structural transformations due to heat treatment.

Contribution

It provides detailed analysis of structural and magnetic changes in SrFe12O19 films caused by annealing, using advanced spectroscopic techniques.

Findings

Annealed films exhibit well-crystallized, textured SrFe12O19 structure.

As-grown films contain nanocrystalline maghemite and amorphous oxides.

Annealing induces a canonical SrFe12O19 structure with c-axis orientation.

Abstract

We have studied the influence of annealing treatment on the crystalline growth of SrFe_12_O_19 previously deposited on Si (100) substrates using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. For this goal, two grown films, with and without \textit{ex-situ} heating step, have been analysed and compared to determine the differences in their structural, compositional and magnetic properties. The results obtained by the different analysis techniques, in particular M\"ossbauer spectroscopy together with EXAFS and XANES data, suggest that the as-grown film is composed of nanocrystalline maghemite nanoparticles and amorphous strontium oxide. A strontium hexaferrite canonical structure with c-axis orientation in the sample plane was found for the annealed film.