Signature of structural distortion in optical spectra of YFe2O4 thin film

Authors

R. C. Rai, Buffalo State College
J. Hinz, Buffalo State College
G. X. A. Petronilo, Buffalo State College
F. Sun, SUNY University at Buffalo
H. Zeng, SUNY University at Buffalo
Mim Lal Nakarmi, CUNY Brooklyn CollegeFollow
P. R. Niraula, CUNY Brooklyn College

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Abstract

We report structural, optical, and electro-optical properties of polycrystalline YFe2O4 thin films, deposited on (0001) sapphire substrates using the electron-beam deposition technique. The optical spectra of a 120 nm YFe2O4 show Fe d to d on-site and O 2p to Fe 3d, Y 4d, and Y 5s charge-transfer electronic excitations. Anomalies in the temperature dependence data of the charge-transfer excitations and the splitting of the 4.46 eV charge-transfer peak strongly suggest a structural distortion at 180 ± 10 K. Evidence of such a structural distortion is also manifested in the surface resistance versus temperature data. In addition, the YFe2O4 thin film at low temperatures shows strong electro-optical properties, as high as 9% in the energy range of 1 - 2.5 eV, for applied electric fields up to 500 V.cm−1.

Comments

This article was originally published in AIP ADVANCES, available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4942753.

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.