文摘
Self-assembled epitaxial BiFeO<sub>3sub>–MgO and BiFeO<sub>3sub>–MgAl<sub>2sub>O<sub>4sub> nanocomposite thin films were grown on SrTiO<sub>3sub> substrates by pulsed laser deposition. A two-phase columnar structure was observed for BiFeO<sub>3sub>–MgO codeposition within a small window of growth parameters, in which the pillars consisted of a magnetic spinel phase (Mg,Fe)<sub>3sub>O<sub>4sub> within a BiFeO<sub>3sub> matrix, similar to the growth of BiFeO<sub>3sub>–MgFe<sub>2sub>O<sub>4sub> nanocomposites reported elsewhere. Further, growth of a nanocomposite with BiFeO<sub>3sub>–(CoFe<sub>2sub>O<sub>4sub>/MgO/MgFe<sub>2sub>O<sub>4sub>), in which the minority phase was grown from three different targets, gave spinel pillars with a uniform (Mg,Fe,Co)<sub>3sub>O<sub>4sub> composition due to interdiffusion during growth, with a bifurcated shape from the merger of neighboring pillars. BiFeO<sub>3sub>–MgAl<sub>2sub>O<sub>4sub> did not form a well-defined vertical nanocomposite in spite of having lower lattice mismatch, but instead formed a two-phase film with in which the spinel phase contained Fe. These results illustrate the redistribution of Fe between the oxide phases during oxide codeposition to form a ferrimagnetic phase from antiferromagnetic or nonmagnetic targets.