Paramagnetism in Mn/Fe implanted ZnO

Abstract

Prompted by the generally poor understanding of the nature of magnetic phenomena in 3d-metal doped ZnO, we have undertaken on-line F57e Mössbauer spectroscopy on ZnO single crystals in an external magnetic field of 0.6 T, following the implantation of radioactive M57n ions at room temperature. The Mössbauer spectra of the dilute Fe impurities are dominated by sextets whose angular dependence rules out an ordered magnetic state (which had been previously proposed) but are well accounted for on the basis of Fe3+ paramagnetic centers on substitutional Zn sites with unusually long relaxation times (>20 ns).