Ferromagnetism in substituted zinc oxide

TL;DR

This study demonstrates room-temperature ferromagnetism in certain transition metal-doped ZnO films, linked to defect concentrations and explained by a spin-split impurity band model, revealing potential for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It reports the observation of ferromagnetism in ZnO films doped with specific transition metals and introduces a spin-split impurity band model to explain the phenomenon.

Findings

Ferromagnetism observed in ZnO films with Sc, Ti, V, Fe, Co, Ni doping.

Large magnetic moments for Co- and Ti-doped ZnO.

Ferromagnetism varies with oxygen pressure during film growth.

Abstract

Room-temperature ferromagnetism is observed in (110) oriented ZnO films containing 5 at % of Sc, Ti, V, Fe, Co or Ni, but not Cr, Mn or Cu ions. There are large moments, 1.9 and 0.5 muB/atom for Co- and Ti-substituted oxides, respectively. Sc-substituted ZnO shows also a moment of 0.3 muB/Sc. Magnetization is very anisotropic, with variations of up to a factor three depending on the orientation of the applied field relative to the R-cut sapphire substrates. Results are interpreted in terms of a spin-split donor impurity band model, which can account for ferromagnetism in insulating or conducting high-k oxides with concentrations of magnetic ions that lie far below the percolation threshold. The variation of the ferromagnetism with oxygen pressure used during film growth is evidence of a link between ferromagnetism and defect concentration.