Epitaxial growth of thin Fe3O4 films on ZnO by PLD: a perspective for Spintronics

This PhD work is inscribed in the research domain of materials science for spin electronics. We aim to master the epitaxial growth of the half-metallic Fe3O4, a material with a fully polarized density of states, on ZnO semiconducting substrates, possessing a long spin coherence length (within the micrometer range). The successful combination “Fe3O4/ZnO” is the first necessary foundation for physical spin injection studies on devices. In this work notable achievements were realized, particularly the successful epitaxial growth processes for Fe3O4 on ZnO(000±1) substrates, regardless of substrate polarity. Precise control of oxygen partial pressure during deposition allowed the synthesis of stoichiometric Fe3O4 thin films, with magnetization properties closely resembling those of bulk Fe3O4. The investigation provided critical insights into the influence of growth temperature on the interface between Fe3O4 and ZnO, including the effects of intentionally grown FeO template layers. Furthermore, the research extended to explore the impact of substrate miscut on remanent magnetization of Fe3O4 thin films. Utilizing advanced transmission electron microscopy techniques, a comprehensive analysis of epitaxial growth revealed various structural defects, providing an in-depth understanding of the challenges in this area of research.

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