Structural, magnetic, optical, and magneto-optical properties of CoFe2O4 thin films fabricated by a chemical approach

Homogeneous, smooth, and partially transparent nanocrystalline thin films of CoFe₂O₄ were fabricated using a chemical solution approach with additional annealing for 2 h in a temperature range of 300 °C to 600 °C. Structural properties investigated by X-ray diffraction showed a single-phase spinel structure with a random crystallographic orientation for samples annealed above 400 °C. The ferromagnetic nature of prepared films was established from combined substrate with film hysteresis loops measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer. Optical and magneto-optical spectroscopic measurements revealed an improvement in the structural quality of the films after annealing up to 600 °C.