Antiphase Domain Boundaries in Thin Films of Magnetite

Abstract: Films of Fe₃O₄ were prepared by sputter deposition onto MgO substrates of both 〈100〉 and 〈110〉 orientations. The films used in this study were mainly 50 nm thick. X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and other techniques revealed that the films were stoichiometric single crystals. Electron microscopy showed that the films were essentially dislocation free. Despite this high degree of perfection, the magnetic properties of the films were inconsistent with bulk single crystal properties. For example, the magnetization of the films did not saturate in fields as large as 7 Tesla, while bulk single crystals saturate by 0.1 Tesla.