Synthesis and Characterization of Nickel Ferrite Nanostructures by DC Reactive Sputtering Technique Using New Target Configuration

In this work, nickel ferrite thin films were prepared using dc reactive sputtering technique. A new geometrical configuration of the sputtered target is proposed. It includes coating of an iron target with nickel thin film with lower area and then used it as a co-sputtering target to prepare nickel ferrite thin films on glass substrates. This configuration can be considered a novel method to prepare this material with a one-step process using the same deposition system. The structural and spectroscopic characteristics of the prepared material were determined and the formation of the nanostructures within the deposited films was confirmed. The prepared nanomaterial showed high structural purity with energy band gap in the typical range.