Obtaining, crystal structure and nanostructure of Ba₂NdFeNb₄O₁₅ heteroepitaxial films fabricated by RF sputtering on MgO(001) substrates

Abstract

The high quality Ba2NdFeNb4O15 epitaxial films with thicknesses varying from 10 nm to 1μm have been fabricated by RF cathode sputtering. The films were characterized by the formation of orientational domains with 18.4° in-plane rotation and tetragonal unit cell. The films have a smooth surface, while the presence of orientational domains does not manifest itself in any way on the surface relief. The obtained films have no magnetic response due to the absence of magnetic inclusions of barium hexaferrite. The absence of any impurities has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and energy dispersive elemental analysis.