Formation of different magnetic phases and high Curie temperature ferromagnetism in Fe57-implanted ZnO film

Abstract

© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. We investigated magnetic properties of ZnO thin film implanted with Fe57 ions to the fluence of 1.00×1017 ions/cm2. Both vibrating sample magnetometry and magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements revealed strong room temperature ferromagnetism with similar hysteresis loops. Temperature dependent measurements showed a very high Curie temperature around 850 K. Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy experiments proved the existence of paramagnetic Fe+3 and Fe+2 ions and also the presence of substitutional Fe atoms in the hexagonal ZnO crystal resulting in intrinsic ferromagnetic order.