Paramagnetic dysprosium-doped zinc oxide thin films grown by pulsed-laser deposition

Journal Article · Sun Jun 07 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4921979· OSTI ID:22412866

Lo, Fang-Yuh; Ting, Yi-Chieh; Chou, Kai-Chieh; Hsieh, Tsung-Chun; Ye, Cin-Wei; Hsu, Yung-Yuan; Liu, Hsiang-Lin ^[1]; Chern, Ming-Yau ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics, National Taiwan Normal University, 11677 Taipei City, Taiwan (China)
2. Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei City, Taiwan (China)

Dysprosium(Dy)-doped zinc oxide (Dy:ZnO) thin films were fabricated on c-oriented sapphire substrate by pulsed-laser deposition with doping concentration ranging from 1 to 10 at. %. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman-scattering, optical transmission spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry revealed incorporation of Dy into ZnO host matrix without secondary phase. Solubility limit of Dy in ZnO under our deposition condition was between 5 and 10 at. % according to XRD and Raman-scattering characteristics. Optical transmission spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry also showed increase in both transmittance in ultraviolet regime and band gap of Dy:ZnO with increasing Dy density. Zinc vacancies and zinc interstitials were identified by photoluminescence spectroscopy as the defects accompanied with Dy incorporation. Magnetic investigations with a superconducting quantum interference device showed paramagnetism without long-range order for all Dy:ZnO thin films, and a hint of antiferromagnetic alignment of Dy impurities was observed at highest doping concentration—indicating the overall contribution of zinc vacancies and zinc interstitials to magnetic interaction was either neutral or toward antiferromagnetic. From our investigations, Dy:ZnO thin films could be useful for spin alignment and magneto-optical applications.

• OSTI ID: 22412866
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 117, Issue 21; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ANTIFERROMAGNETISM
CONCENTRATION RATIO
DOPED MATERIALS
DYSPROSIUM
ELLIPSOMETRY
ENERGY BEAM DEPOSITION
INTERSTITIALS
LASER RADIATION
PARAMAGNETISM
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
PULSED IRRADIATION
SAPPHIRE
SPIN
SQUID DEVICES
SUBSTRATES
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
VACANCIES
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
ZINC OXIDES