Effect of oxygen annealing on Mn doped ZnO diluted magnetic semiconductors

Abstract

We have investigated the properties of Zn1−xMnxO (x=0.01–0.1) thin films grown on c-plane sapphire single crystals by pulsed laser deposition. The electrical, magnetic, optical, and microstructural properties of these thin films have been characterized systematically, with a primary focus on establishing a correlation between magnetic properties and electrical conductivity. We have shown that this system exhibits ferromagnetism at room temperature when in the conducting as-deposited state. However, upon high temperature annealing in excess oxygen, the samples become insulating and exhibit nonferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. Thus, it is possible to tune ferromagnetism in Zn1−xMnxO diluted magnetic semiconductors by controlling the concentrations of oxygen vacancies and substitutional Mn dopants.