Synthesis and Characterization of α-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles Prepared by PLD at Different Laser Energies

Abstract

In this paper, ferric oxide nanoparticles) Fe₂O₃ NPs( were synthesized directly on a quartz substrate in vacuum by pulse laser deposition technique using Nd:YAG laser at different energies (171, 201,363 mJ/pulse). The slides were then heated to 700^o C for 1 hour. The structural, optical, morphological, and electrical properties were studied. The optical properties indicated that the prepared thin films have an energy gap ranging from 2.28 to 2.04 eV. The XRD results showed no lattice impurities for other iron oxide phases, confirming that all particles were transformed into the α-Fe₂O₃ phase during the heating process. The AFM results indicated the dependence of nanoparticles size on the laser energy. As the laser energy increased, the average grain size increased from 72.6 nm to 79.02 nm. Hall effect measurement indicated that the film was an n-type semiconductor.