Structure and magnetic properties of pulsed laser deposited SrFe12O19 thin films on SrTiO3 (100) and (111) substrates

Epitaxial SrFe12O19 films were prepared on SrTiO3 (001) and (111) substrates by pulsed laser deposition and annealed in air at high temperature. As-deposited and annealed SrFe12O19 thin films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. Films annealed at 800 °C and 1000 °C on (111) substrates showed an epitaxial growth whereas films on (001) substrates grew with both in-plane and out-of-plane c-axis. The magnetic hysteresis loops of annealed films on (111) substrates exhibited a strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy with out-of-plane easy axis originating from epitaxial growth while the films on (001) substrates were almost isotropic.