skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Electric field-induced magnetic switching in Mn:ZnO film

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4883259· OSTI ID:22300011
 [1]; ; ; ; ; ;  [2]
  1. Key Laboratory of Advanced Films of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Information Engineering, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China)
  2. College of Chemistry and Material Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024 (China)

A large magnetic modulation, accompanied by stable bipolar resistive switching (RS) behavior, was observed in a Mn:ZnO film by applying a reversible electric field. A significant enhancement of the ferromagnetism of the film, to about five times larger than that in the initial (as-grown) state (IS), was obtained by switching the film into the low resistance state. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated the existence of abundant oxygen vacancies in the IS of the film. We suggest that this electric field-induced magnetic switching effect originates with the migration and redistribution of oxygen vacancies during RS. Our work indicates that electric switching is an effective and simple method to increase the ferromagnetism of diluted magnetic oxide films. This provides a promising direction for research in spintronic devices.

OSTI ID:
22300011
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 104, Issue 23; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English