Epitaxial Spinel Ferrite Thin Films

Recently there have been significant advances in understanding the magnetic properties of epitaxial ferrite films that are not found in bulk ferrites. Much effort has been expended on trying to achieve bulk properties in thin films for a wide range of applications. From a fundamental science perspective, epitaxial thin films and heterostructures have provided model systems in which novel phenomena, such as modified super-exchange interactions, nearly ideal exchange coupling, and perpendicular exchange coupling, have been observed. These magnetic phenomena and other anomalous magnetic properties are interesting in their own right and are highlighted here.