Inverse magnetoresistance in textured Fe sub(3)O sub(4) film

A surprising inverse (positive) MR effect was observed in thin film of magnetite (Fe sub(3)O sub(4)) grown on Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements show a highly (111)-textured growth and single phase nature of Fe sub(3)O sub(4) thin film. X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) were employed to exclude the existence of gamma -Fe sub(2)O sub(3). The surface morphology of the film was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Based on the aforementioned studies, we proposed a spin dependent conduction mechanism to explain the observed anomalous MR effect.