Thick Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄ films prepared by the chemical solution deposition method

Abstract

Fe₂O₃, Fe₃O₄ films have been prepared from Fe(OCH₂CH(CH₃)₂)₃–(CH₃)₂CHCH₂OH–2.2′-diethanola- mine (DEA)–poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) solutions by the spin-(SC) and dip-coating (DC) technique on SiO₂ and Si substrates. The maximum film thickness achieved without crack formation has been increased by incorporation of PVP (relative molecular weights 40000 and 360000) into the precursor solution. The stability of the precursor solutions was remarkably increased by addition of DEA. Compact, dense, and crack-free Fe₂O₃ films with thicknesses $\geq$ 900 nm (DC), $\geq$ 450 nm (SC), have been obtained via single-step deposition cycle. Higher-molecular-weight PVP has been more effective in increasing the thickness. The minimum concentration of DEA, which results in pronounced increase of solutions stability, is about R _P (n(DEA)/n(Fe) = 0.1). The high content of carboneous residue in the pyrolysed Fe₂O₃ films promotes the formation of Fe₃O₄ films via reduction in a gas flow of H₂/N₂ gas mixture. Microstructure, surface morphology, and magnetic properties of the films have been also investigated using SEM, AFM, and SQUID, respectively.