Crystalline Ce_1-xCo_xO₂ epilayers have been grown by pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO₃(001) substrates. It turns out that the epilayers are ferromagnetic at room temperature with the magnitude of the magnetic moment depending on the growth parameters. Films grown under vacuum (P=10^-6 mbar) exhibit higher magnetic moment than films grown under oxygen pressure (P=5.10^-2 mbar). Moreover, when films grown under vacuum are subsequently annealed in an oxygen atmosphere, their magnetic moments is strongly reduced. This behaviour strongly suggests that the ferromagnetism is mediated by defects. Epilayers have been studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission microscopy (HRTEM). All the films are (001) oriented and display a 45 ° in-plane rotation from SrTiO₃. HRTEM micrographs has shown a very good crystal quality with no visible inclusions such as Co precipitates. Preliminary electrical measurements show that the films are highly resistive. All these results points CeO₂ as a promising material for applications in spintronics.

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