Observation of ferromagnetism and anomalous Hall effect in laser-deposited chromium-doped indium tin oxide films

We report on the structural, magnetic, and magnetotransport characteristics of Cr-doped indium tin oxide (ITO) films grown on SiO₂/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Structural analysis clearly indicates that homogeneous films of bixbyite structure are grown without any detectable formation of secondary phases up to 20 mol% Cr doping. The carrier concentration is found to decrease with Cr ion addition, displaying a change in the conduction type from n-type to p-type around 15 mol% Cr doping. Room temperature ferromagnetism is observed, with saturation magnetization of ∼0.7 emu/cm³, remnant magnetization of ∼0.2 emu/cm³ and coercive field of ∼30 Oe for 5 mol% Cr-doped ITO. Magnetotransport measurements reveal the unique feature of diluted magnetic semiconductors, in particular, an anomalous Hall effect governed by electron doping, which indicates the intrinsic nature of ferromagnetism in Cr-doped ITO. These results suggest that Cr-doped ITO could be promising for semiconductor spin electronics devices.     

Ge纳米结构的形貌与铁磁性研究

利用等离子体增强化学气相沉积技术制备了厚度不同的Ge薄膜, 随着样品厚度的减小, 样品表现出了室温铁磁性. 厚度为12 nm样品经过300 ℃退火后, 由于颗粒细化, 颗粒之间的界面增加, 界面缺陷增加, 样品表现出最大的铁磁性 (50 emu/cm³). 场冷却和零场冷却曲线测试表明居里温度约为350 K. 进行600 ℃退火后, 颗粒团聚, 样品的铁磁性最小. 当样品厚度进一步减小为6 nm时, 沉积态样品表现出铁磁性和顺磁性共存. 对6 nm厚的样品进行300 ℃退火后, 样品只具有铁磁性. 进行600 ℃退火后, 样品却只具有顺磁性. 12 nm 和6 nm 厚的Ge纳米结构薄膜随退火温度变化表现出不同的磁性规律, 我们认为是由于样品的颗粒大小和颗粒分布不同造成的. 样品越薄, Si基底与Ge薄膜之间的界面缺陷越明显, 界面缺陷以及Ge颗粒之间的界面缺陷为样品提供了未配对电子, 未配对电子的铁磁性耦合强度与样品颗粒的分布以及颗粒之间的结合有一定的关系. 颗粒之间分散或颗粒之间的融合程度大都将会降低样品的铁磁性.     

Tunable surface and/or interface ferromagnetism of ZnO nanoparticles

The ZnO-based diluted magnetic semiconductor materials have been widely investigated since the room temperature ferromagnetism (FM) was predicted in the p$p$-type Mn doped ZnO. However, it is now clear that magnetic dopants or impurities are not necessary for introducing FM into ZnO. As confirmed by numerous theoretical and experimental works, tunable FM can be effectively introduced into ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) by controlling the surface and/or interface nanostructures. This review describes the recent advances in the surface and/or interface FM of ZnO NPs without any magnetic impurities. On the basis of the previous reports including our recent works, the origin of FM of ZnO NPs has been overviewed and discussed in terms of defects, complex reactions or compounds, and electron transfer at the NP surface or interface.     

High temperature ferromagnetism with a giant magnetic moment in transparent co-doped SnO(2-delta)

The occurrence of room temperature ferromagnetism is demonstrated in pulsed laser deposited thin films of Sn(1-x)Co(x)O(2-delta) (x<0.3). Interestingly, films of Sn(0.95)Co(0.05)O(2-delta) grown on R-plane sapphire not only exhibit ferromagnetism with a Curie temperature close to 650 K, but also a giant magnetic moment of 7.5+/-0.5 micro(B)/Co, not yet reported in any diluted magnetic semiconductor system. The films are semiconducting and optically highly transparent.     

Enhanced ferromagnetism in nano-sized Zn0.95Mn0.05O grains

The present work reports ferromagnetism by doping magnetic Mn atoms in the diamagnetic ZnO matrix and the ferromagnetism has been extended up to 640 K in nano-grained Zn_0.95Mn_0.05O samples. The bulk and nano-grained samples were stabilized in hexagonal crystal structure with space group p63mc. The grain size and lattice strain of the samples were estimated from room temperature XRD spectrum. Surface morphology of the samples was examined at room temperature using SEM picture and EDX spectrum. The ferromagnetism of the bulk material shows enhancement in nano-grained samples, which was mainly due to the solution of Mn atoms into the lattice sites of ZnO by mechanical milling. The enhancement of magnetic moment and ferromagnetic ordering temperature with reduction in grain size has been understood in terms of the core-shell structure and existing theoretical models. The present work also demonstrated the role of surface spin disorder on the enhancement of ferromagnetism in Zn_0.95Mn_0.05O nanograins.     

The effect of annealing on the room temperature ferromagnetism in co-sputtered In2O3: C thin films

In this paper, we report investigation of room temperature (RT) ferromagnetism in In₂O₃ (InO) thin films doped with carbon prepared by the co-sputtering method. InO thin films both undoped and C doped with varied thicknesses in the range of 45 to 80 nm were synthesized on Si substrates with varied C concentrations. The carbon concentration was varied from 1.6 to 9.3 at%. The undoped InO films showed no trace of ferromagnetism. Carbon doped films (InO:C) exhibited ferromagnetism at RT, which was of the orders of 10⁻⁵ emu and varied strongly with C concentrations. It is observed that the magnetization reached a maximum value of 5.7 emu/cm³ at 4 at% C. Annealing of the InO:C films in an oxygen environment resulted in a decrease in the magnetization, indicating the crucial role of oxygen vacancies in the films. It is concluded that the oxygen vacancies were important and compete with C substitution for the RT ferromagnetism.     

Coexistence of ferromagnetism and superconductivity in Ni/Bi bilayers

In spite of a lack of superconductivity in bulk crystalline Bi, thin film Bi deposited on thin Ni underlayers are strong-coupled superconductors below approximately 4 K. We unambiguously demonstrate that by tuning the Ni thickness the competition between ferromagnetism and superconductivity in the Ni/Bi can be tailored. For a narrow range of Ni thicknesses, the coexistence of both a superconducting energy gap and conduction electron spin polarization are visible within the Ni side of the Ni/Bi bilayers, independent of any particular theoretical model. We believe that this represents one of the clearest observations of superconductivity and ferromagnetism coexisting.     

Implications and consequences of ferromagnetism universally exhibited by inorganic nanoparticles

The occurrence of surface ferromagnetism in inorganic nanoparticles as a universal property not only explains many of the unusual magnetic features of oxidic thin films, but also suggests its possible use in creating new materials, as exemplified by multiferroic BaTiO₃ nanoparticles. While the use of Mn-doped ZnO and such materials in spintronics appears doubtful, it is possible to have materials exhibiting the coexistence of (bulk) superconductivity and (surface) ferromagnetism.     

Two-dimensional intrinsic ferromagnetism at nitride-boride interfaces

We predict theoretically novel two-dimensional interface ferromagnetism at AlN/MgB(2)(0001) using first-principles calculations, where the interface is employed as an ordered structure of spin sites instead of point defects. Although N dangling bonds are apparently saturated, interfacial states exhibit spin polarization. Hund's coupling of the two N p(∥) orbitals as well as low density of states at the Fermi energy contribute to strong band ferromagnetism. Furthermore, first-principles electron transport calculations demonstrate that this interfacial spin polarization is responsible for quantum spin transport. The magnetization can be controlled by applied gate bias voltages.     

Aligned CuO nanorod arrays: fabrication and anisotropic ferromagnetism

Copper oxide (CuO) is a p-type semiconductor with a band gap of 1.2 eV, which is well known in high-temperature superconductor and antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials through Cu–O–Cu super-exchange interaction. In this paper, we report the strong anisotropic ferromagnetism (FM) in aligned CuO nanorod arrays synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image shows that the CuO nanorod consists of a large number of smaller nanorods with almost the same growth direction. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern indicates that the CuO nanorods are well crystallized with highly preferred orientation of the [020] direction. These CuO nanorod arrays show room-temperature ferromagnetism, with strong magnetic anisotropy when the magnetic field is applied perpendicular or parallel to the rod axis. This phenomenon of room-temperature ferromagnetism in those aligned CuO nanorods might originate from uncompensated surface spins and shape anisotropy of the nanorods.     

Onset of ferromagnetism in ultrathin Fe films on semiconductors

Very thin Fe films have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Ge(001), GaAs(001) and ZnSe(001) substrates, under identical preparation conditions. The electronic and magnetic properties of such interfaces have been studied, as a function of the Fe thickness, by means of spin resolved inverse photoemission. From the spin dependence of Fe empty states, we observe the onset of room temperature ferromagnetism to occur at a Fe thickness as low as three monolayers (ML) for Fe/Ge, while 5 and 8 ML have been found for Fe/GaAs and Fe/ZnSe, respectively.     

Spin dynamics in magnetic semiconductor nanostructures

The studies of the magnetic and electrical transport properties of ordered magnetic semiconductor nanostructures have been generalized. This new area lies at the intersection of nanotechnologies and fundamental problems of magnetism. The prospects for application of ferromagnetic semiconductors in spintronics have been discussed. A comparative analysis of the magnetic and electrical transport properties of nanowires, thin films, and bulk elemental semiconductors doped with transition metals has been performed. The influence of size effects on the spin dynamics, magnetization, and magnetoresistance of nanostructures has been considered.     

Structure and room-temperature ferromagnetism of Co-doped ZnO DMS films

Co-doped ZnO diluted magnetic semiconductor films were prepared on Si(100) substrates by magnetron sputtering system and the Co content varies from 0.01 to 0.15. The X-ray diffraction results showed ZnO of the wurtzite structure. The ferromagnetism was observed at room temperature. The X-ray near-edge absorption spectroscopy revealed that Co substitutes for Zn²⁺ ions in the valence of +2 state in the Co-doped ZnO films.     

不同价态Mn掺杂InN电子结构、磁学和光学性质的第一性原理研究

采用密度泛函理论体系下的广义梯度近似GGA+U平面波超软赝势方法,在构建了纤锌矿结构的InN超胞及三种不同有序占位Mn~(2+),Mn~(3+)价态分别掺杂InN超胞模型,并进行几何优化的基础上,计算了掺杂前后体系的电子结构、能量以及光学性质.计算结果表明:Mn掺杂后体系总能量和形成能降低,稳定性增加,并在费米能级附近引入自旋极化杂质带,体系具有明显的自旋极化现象.掺杂不同价态的Mn元素对体系电子结构和磁学性质产生了不同的影响.电子结构和磁性分析表明掺杂体系的磁性来源于p-d交换机制和双交换机制的共同作用,Mn~(3+)价态掺杂有利于掺杂体系的居里温度达到室温以上.与未掺杂InN相比,不同价态Mn元素掺杂后体系的静态介电函数显著增大,掺杂体系介电函数虚部和吸收光谱在低能区域出现了较强的新峰,分析认为这些新峰主要来自与费米能级附近自旋极化杂质带相关的跃迁.     

The coexistence of ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in Mn-doped BaTiO3 thin films

Due to the fault of the first author, this article entitled “The coexistence of ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in Mn-doped BaTiO3 thin films”, published in “Chinese Physics B”, 2011,Vol.20, Issue 12, Article No. 127701, has been found to copy from the article entitled“Decisive role of oxygen vacancy in ferroelectric versus ferromagnetic Mn-doped BaTiO3 thin films”, published in “Journal of Applied Physics”, 2011,Vol.109, Issue 8, article No. 084105. So the above article in “Chinese Physics B” has been withdrawn from the publication.<     

Ho3+掺杂对ZnO薄膜的微观结构和磁性的影响

研究Ho³⁺掺杂对氧化锌半导体材料的微结构和磁学性质影响. 利用热蒸发技术制备了一系列沉积在Si(100)衬底的Zn_1-xHo_xO(x=0.0、0.04、0.05）薄膜. X射线光谱、表面形貌以及磁性的实验结果表明,Ho³⁺掺杂对ZnO薄膜材料的性能影响很大. X射线衍射图显示峰位出现高角度转变并且趋向于(101)取向,在ZnO晶格显示Ho³⁺置换. 扫描电子显微镜和能谱仪对薄膜的表面形貌以及化学     

MFM and Raman studies in PEMBE-grown (Ga,Mn)N thin films showing room-temperature ferromagnetism

We present the room-temperature ferromagnetism in the (Ga,Mn)N films grown on n-type GaN templates by plasma-enhanced molecular beam epitaxy for semiconductor spintronic device applications. Despite of the possible interface effects between the (Ga,Mn)N layers and n-type GaN templates, the (Ga,Mn)N films were found to exhibit the ferromagnetic ordering above room temperature. The magnetic force microscopy identified the magnetic domains with the different magnetic orientations at room temperature, indicating the existence of the ferromagnetic long-range ordering. In Raman spectra, an additional peak at 578 cm⁻¹ was observed, which is attributed to the local vibration of substitutional Mn in the (Ga,Mn)N lattice. Therefore, it is believed that the ferromagnetic ordering in (Ga,Mn)N is due to the carrier-mediated Ruderman-Kittle-Kasuya-Yosida interaction.     

N掺杂SiO2纳米薄膜的制备及其磁性

利用射频磁控反应溅射技术,制备了氮掺杂的SiO₂纳米薄膜.发现N掺杂SiO₂体系纳米薄膜具有铁磁性.较小的氮化硅颗粒均匀分布在氧化硅基质中有利于磁有序的形成.基底温度为400℃时,样品薄膜具有最大的饱和磁化强度和矫顽力,分别为35 emu/cm³和75 Oe.薄膜的磁性可能产生于氮化硅和氧化硅的界面.理论计算表明,N掺杂SiO₂体系具有净自旋.同时,由氮化硅和氧化硅界面之间的电荷转移导致的轨道磁矩也会对样品的磁性有贡献 关键词： 2薄膜')" href="#">N掺杂SiO₂薄膜 射频磁控反应溅射 界面磁性 基底温度     

Theory of diluted magnetic semiconductor ferromagnetism

We present a theory of carrier-induced ferromagnetism in diluted magnetic semiconductors ( III1-xMnxV) which allows for arbitrary itinerant-carrier spin polarization and dynamic correlations. Both ingredients are essential in identifying the system's elementary excitations and describing their properties. We find a branch of collective modes, in addition to the spin waves and Stoner continuum which occur in metallic ferromagnets, and predict that the low-temperature spin stiffness is independent of the strength of the exchange coupling between magnetic ions and itinerant carriers. We discuss the temperature dependence of the magnetization and the heat capacity.     

铋层状氧化物单晶薄膜多铁性研究进展

室温单相多铁材料非常稀缺,磁性元素掺杂的铋层状钙钛矿结构Aurivillius相氧化物是一类重要的单相室温多铁材料,但由于缺少单晶类样品,这一类多铁材料研究主要是围绕多晶类块体或者多晶薄膜展开,它们的磁、电等性能研究大都采用宏观探测方式,因此这类多铁材料的多铁性机理研究进行得非常困难.近年来在高质量单晶薄膜的基础上,研究了多种磁性元素掺杂和不同周期结构的铋层状氧化物多铁单晶薄膜.这些单晶薄膜在室温下大都具有层状面面内方向的铁电极化,以及比较小的室温磁化强度,低温区存在第二个磁性相变.通过X射线共振非弹性散射实验发现元素掺杂会改变金属和氧原子之间的氧八面体晶体场的劈裂,能够增强铁磁性.另一方面,通过极化中子反射实验发现薄膜主体的磁化强度远小于通常探测的宏观磁化强度,说明单晶薄膜中磁的来源及其磁电耦合机理和多晶块体很可能是不同的.铋层状单晶薄膜的多铁性对未来继续改善这类材料的多铁性能有很好的指导作用.