Contrasting behavior of the structural and magnetic properties in Mn- and Fe-doped In$_2$O$_3$ films

TL;DR

This study compares the magnetic and structural properties of Mn- and Fe-doped In$_2$O$_3$ thin films, revealing contrasting behaviors in how grain size influences ferromagnetism at room temperature.

Contribution

It provides the first direct comparison of Mn and Fe doping effects on In$_2$O$_3$ films' magnetic properties and their dependence on grain size.

Findings

Mn-doped films show higher magnetization with smaller grains.

Fe-doped films exhibit larger magnetization with bigger grains.

Room temperature ferromagnetism observed in both doped films.

Abstract

We have observed room temperature ferromagnetism (FM) in In$_2$O$_3$ thin films doped with either 5 at.% Mn or Fe, prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at substrate temperatures ranging from 300 to 600$\,^{\circ}{\rm C}$. The dependence of saturation magnetization on grain size was investigated for both types of In$_2$O$_3$ films. It is revealed that, for the Mn-doped films, the magnetization was largest with small grains, indicating the importance of grain boundaries. In contrast, for Fe-doped films, the largest magnetization was observed with large grains.