Iron oxide films were grown on sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition at substrate temperatures between 100 and 700 degrees C. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and vibrational sample magnetometer analysis revealed that structural and magnetic properties of the iron oxide films strongly depend on the substrate temperature during growth. Single phase Fe3O4 film was successfully grown on sapphire substrate at a substrate temperature of 500 degrees C. The saturation magnetic moment of the single phase Fe3O4 film is 499 emu/cm(3), which is in good agreement with the value reported for bulk magnetite, suggesting the Fe3O4 film is of high crystal quality without antiphase boundaries. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.