Growth, electronic and magnetic properties of doped ZnO epitaxial and nanocrystalline films

Abstract

We have used oxygen plasma assisted metal organic chemical vapor deposition along with wet chemical synthesis and spin coating to prepare CoxZn1-xO and MnxZn1-xO epitaxial and nanoparticle films. Co(II) and Mn(II) substitute for Zn(II) in the wurtzite lattice in materials synthesized by both methods. Room-temperature ferromagnetism in epitaxial Co:ZnO films can be reversibly activated by diffusing in Zn, which occupies interstitial sites and makes the material n-type. O-capped Co:ZnO nanoparticles, which are paramagnetic as grown, become ferromagnetic upon being spin coated in air at elevated temperature. Likewise, spin-coated N-capped Mn:ZnO nanoparticle films also exhibit room-temperature ferromagnetism. However, the inverse systems, N-capped Co:ZnO and O-capped Mn:ZnO, are entirely paramagnetic when spin coated into films in the same way. Analysis of optical absorption spectra reveals that the resonances Co(I)↔Co(II)+e-CB and Mn(III)↔Mn(II)+h+VB are energetically favorable, consistent with strong hybridization of Co (Mn) with the conduction (valence) band of ZnO. In contrast, the resonances Mn(I)↔Mn(II)+e-CB and Co(III)↔Co(II)+h+VB are not energetically favorable. These results strongly suggest that the observed ferromagnetism in Co:ZnO (Mn:ZnO) is mediated by electrons (holes).