ROOM TEMPERATURE FERROMAGNETISM IN Mn DOPED ZnO SEMICONDUCTOR

Abstract

Following the theoretical prediction of ferromagnetism in Mn - and Co -doped ZnO , there has been an immense experimental search for dilute semiconductors that show ferromagnetic ordering above room temperature, and several workers have reported ferromagnetism in bulk samples as well as in thin films of these materials. Mn -doped ZnO is the key material in this regard, which has been, in the recent past, shown to exhibit such magnetic properties. Many more such attempts have either led to failure or to a much lower Tc, and there have been a lot of confronting reports casting considerable doubts on the magnetism in this system. In order to shed some light, we have prepared and characterized dilute Mn -doped (2 and 4%) ZnO pellets. SQUID measurements confirm that the 2% sample shows above room temperature ferromagnetic ordering, the ferromagnetic contribution coming mainly from the bulk. The ordering gets completely quenched for 4% Mn doping. Upon cooling down, the 2% Mn doped sample showed further enhancement in magnetic properties appreciably. On the other hand, the 4% sample did not show any ferromagnetic ordering, even down to 5 K, and has been found to retain the paramagnetic character.