Abstract
MnxZn1−xO thin films (x = 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5%) were grown on corning glass substrates using sol–gel technique. Single-phase hexagonal wurtzite structure was confirmed using X-ray diffraction. Raman analysis revealed the presence of Mn content with an additional vibrational mode at 570 cm−1. The surface morphology of the samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy which suggested that the grain size increases with an increase in Mn concentration. The optical bandgap increases with increasing Mn concentration due to a significant blueshift in UV–visible absorption spectra. The alteration of the bandgap was verified by the I–V measurements on ZnO and Mn-ZnO films. The various functional groups in the thin films were recorded using FTIR analysis. Magnetic measurements showed that MnxZn1−xO films are ferromagnetic, as Mn induces a fully polarised state. The effect of Mn2+ ions doping on MnxZn1−xO thin films was investigated by extracting various parameters such as lattice parameters, energy bandgap, resistivity, and magnetisation. The observed coercivity is about one-fifth of the earlier published work data which indicates the structure is soft in nature, having less dielectric/magnetic loss, and hence can be used as ultra-fast switching in spintronic devices.
Highlights
IntroductionZnO-based metal oxide semiconductors have drawn significant attention due to their versatility and tuneable optical, electrical, and magnetic properties
We investigated the effect of Mn2+ ions doping in ZnO thin films
3.13 Å), while the c parameter was reduced 0.6% from first-principles calculations [19], the Mn-doped ZnO had a small change with respect to the ZnO system, which whereas our experimental results show that a increased about 0.25%, and c parameter was cordance with the density functional theory (DFT) calculations [19]
Summary
ZnO-based metal oxide semiconductors have drawn significant attention due to their versatility and tuneable optical, electrical, and magnetic properties. These materials can be synthesised in different physical forms such as nanoparticles, single crystals thick, and thin films [1,2,3,4,5]. Thin films form an important and useful structure for various applications such as gas sensors, optoelectronic devices, transparent electrodes for solar cells, and as a catalyst [6,7,8,9] It is being considered as a potential candidate in the new frontiers of research such as spintronics [10]. The ferromagnetic behaviour of TM-doped ZnO thin films has been extensively studied due to their potential to control both spin and electric charge which makes these materials suitable for spintronic applications at or above room temperature
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