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

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 Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3. The microcrystalline structures of Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3 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.