Magnetism, Structure, and Cation Distribution in MnFe$_2$O$_4$Films Processed by Conventional and Alternating Target Laser Ablation Deposition

A series of manganese ferrite thin film samples were prepared by alternating target laser ablation deposition and conventional pulsed laser deposition techniques on (111) MgO substrates. By extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis, we have discovered that the cation distribution was sensitive to the processing oxygen pressure and the preparation technique. Correspondingly, the saturation magnetization and uniaxial anisotropy fields change. Saturation magnetization was found to decrease while the percentage of Mn ions on the octahedral site increased, as a function of oxygen processing pressure. The highest magnetization (~4.5 kG) and anisotropy field (~0.5 kOe) corresponded to the sample grown at the lowest oxygen pressure