Intrinsic ferromagnetism and magnetic anisotropy in Gd-doped ZnO thin films synthesized by pulsed spray pyrolysis method

Abstract

This paper reports an in-depth study on nanocrystalline Gd-doped ZnO thin films synthesized using versatile pulsed spray pyrolysis method and exhibit room temperature ferromagnetism. The detailed structural and microstructural studies confirm that the doped Gd ions occupy Zn sites and the peak shift can be elucidated by charge neutrality. Optical investigation shows that the Gd doping in ZnO lattice leads to a decrease in the near band edge position due to the introduction of new unoccupied states by Gd 4f electrons. The electronic structure of the Zn1−xGdxO at the O K edge shows the evolution of pre-edge spectral features similar to cuprates and manganites, and also confirms the strong hybridization of O 2p–Gd 4f/5d states. Furthermore, the Gd M5 edge provides evidence that Gd ions are in the trivalent state. Hysteresis measurements demonstrate that the Gd-doped ZnO films are magnetically anisotropic and exhibit intrinsic ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. Higher magnetization in 3 kOe values is observed for a field applied perpendicular to the sample surface compared to the in-plane direction.