Strongly oriented Co3O4 thin films on MgO(100) and MgAl2O4(100) substrates by PE-CVD

Co3O4 thin films were grown on MgO(100) and MgAl2O4(100) by plasma enhanced-chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) from the [Co(dpm)2] precursor. Depositions on both single crystal substrates were performed from Ar/O2 plasmas at temperatures between 100 and 400 C in order to tailor the chemical and physical properties of the synthesized films. The composition, morphology and structure of the Co3O4 systems were thoroughly analyzed by XPS, SIMS, FESEM and bidimensional XRD. The obtained results evidenced the formation of high-purity and strongly oriented Co3O4 thin films, with features dependent on the used substrate and the adopted growth temperature.