Structure and magnetic properties of iron oxide films deposited by excimer laser ablation of a metal-containing polymer

Abstract The process of depositing iron oxide films on fused quartz substrates via the plume generated by excimer laser ablation of poly(ferric methacrylate), a metal-containing polymer, is reported in this paper. The chemical composition of the deposited films was analyzed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Roman spectroscopy. The results suggest that the deposited films consist of iron-rich Fe 3 O 4 and α-Fe 2 O 3 . The microcrystalline structures of Fe 3 O 4 and α-Fe 2 O 3 in the deposited films were revealed by X-ray diffraction. The morphology of the deposited films presents ball-like grains with nanometer-size structure, which was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The measurements of magnetic properties of the deposited films show that they are ferromagnetic.