Structure and properties of Mn3O4 thin films grown on single crystal substrates by chemical vapor deposition

Mn3O4 thin films were fabricated on SrTiO3(111) and Y3Al5O12(100) substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) under O2 atmospheres, starting from a fluorinated Mn(II) diketonate-diamine adduct. The obtained systems were investigated by a multi-technique characterization in order to elucidate the interplay between preparation conditions and their chemico-physical properties. The results highlighted the formation of phase-pure and homogeneous alpha-Mn3O4 (haussmannite) films, characterized by a smooth morphology, an appreciable Vis light absorption and structural features directly dependent on the used substrate. The target systems were uniformly doped with fluorine, due to the used Mn compound acting as a single-source precursor for both Mn and F. In addition, magnetic force microscopy measurements revealed the formation of spin domains and long-range magnetic order in the target materials, paving the way to their future implementation as magnetic media toward device integration for data storage.