Preparation and properties of EuO films

Films of EuO have been vacuum deposited by three techniques: electron beam heating of bulk EuO, simultaneous deposition of Eu and Eu2O3, and evaporation of Eu in a partial pressure of oxygen. X-ray measurements show the structure of these films to be essentially the same as bulk EuO. The Faraday rotation of EuO films was measured at 5° K for wavelengths between 0.5μ and 1.2μ. The largest specific Faraday rotation occurs at a wavelength of 0.66μ and is 5 × 10⁵degrees per cm, which is one of the highest values yet reported for any material. From magneto-optical measurements and force balance measurements, various magnetic properties of these films have been determined and compared with bulk EuO. Magnetic moment, susceptibility, and squareness of EuO films do not differ greatly from bulk. The coercive force, however, is several times bulk value, and appears to be related to stress in the films.