Ferromagnetic Fe3N films grown on GaN(0002) substrates by MOCVD

Abstract: We have grown Fe3N films on GaN(0002) substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Under lower growth temperatures, small iron particles were formed on GaN surface, while under higher growth temperatures, Fe3N films were formed. The surface morphology of samples with different growth temperatures were characterized by atomic force microscopy. In X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurement, the coexistence of metallic Fe and Fe2+ or Fe3+ was observed in the sample grown at 600°C, while the sample grown at 1050°C showed only high valence forms of Fe ions. It was also found that the magnetic moments of Fe3N prefer to align normal to the c-axis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]