Characterization of iron oxide thin films

Iron oxide thin films were grown with gas‐phase deposition on a glass substrate in order to study the effects of the deposition temperature and time on the film properties. Characterization of the samples was performed using x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x‐ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. It was observed that the film deposited at 350°C consisted of γ‐Fe2O3 whereas films produced at temperatures between 400°C and 500°C could be identified as α‐Fe2O3. Increasing the deposition temperature resulted in an increase of the grain size at temperatures between 350°C and 450°C. When the deposition time was decreased, a part of the iron ions were observed to be in the divalent state. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.