  Spin Seebeck effect has been investigated in Pt/$\varepsilon$-Fe$_2$O$_3$
bilayers. The $\varepsilon$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ thin layer with $40-70$~nm thickness
were deposited by a spin-coating method on Y:ZrO$_2$(100) substrates. The
prepared layers are highly oriented with the easy magnetic $a$-axis parallel to
the film surface. The magnetic hysteresis loops measured at room temperature
with magnetic field parallel to the layer exhibit coercive fields up to
11.6~kOe, which is so far the highest value measured for
$\varepsilon$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ thin layer samples. The shape of the spin Seebeck
hysteresis loops is similar to the shape of magnetization for single phase
layers with coercive field around 10~kOe. In some prepared layers a small
amount of secondary soft ferrimagnetic phase is revealed by a constricted shape
of magnetization loops, in contrast to spin Seebeck loops, where no
constriction is observed. A difference in encountered in the case of layers
with a small amount ($1-2$~volume\%) of secondary soft ferrimagnetic phase,
which is revealed by a constricted shape of magnetization loops, in contrast to
spin Seebeck loops, where no constriction is observed.
