Mn1.56Co0.96Ni0.48O4 +/-delta spinel oxide thin films have been prepared on thermally oxidized Si (100) substrates by firstly sputtering a Mn-Co-Ni alloy target under different oxygen partial pressures and then annealing at 750 degrees C in air. The results show that the film crystallinity is improved and the cationic distribution is varied by the increase of the oxygen partial pressures: Co2+ increases with the decrease of Co3+ and Mn4+ increases with the decrease of Mn2+ and Mn3+ ion. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.