Low temperature growth of manganese cobalt nickelate films by chemical deposition

Manganese cobalt nickelate films (Mn(x)Co(y)Ni(3-x-y))O(4) (MCN) were prepared by chemical deposition method at a crystallization temperature of 600 degrees C, which is lower than the usual sintering temperature of similar to 1050-1200 degrees C. The grain size of the MCN films increased from 20 to 60 nm with the annealing temperature increased from 600 degrees C to 900 degrees C. The secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) shows that elements of Mn, Co, Ni in the films were distributed homogenuously and that the diffusion of Si at the interface was negligeable. The infrared optical constants of the MCN thin films were determined using infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.