In:
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, The Royal Society, Vol. 370, No. 1977 ( 2012-10-28), p. 4927-4943
Abstract:
We report room-temperature ferromagnetism (FM) in highly conducting, transparent anatase Ti 1− x Ta x O 2 ( x ∼0.05) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on LaAlO 3 substrates. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), X-ray diffraction, proton-induced X-ray emission, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry indicated negligible magnetic contaminants in the films. The presence of FM with concomitant large carrier densities was determined by a combination of superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, electrical transport measurements, soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (SXMCD), XAS and optical magnetic circular dichroism, and was supported by first-principles calculations. SXMCD and XAS measurements revealed a 90 per cent contribution to FM from the Ti ions, and a 10 per cent contribution from the O ions. RBS/channelling measurements show complete Ta substitution in the Ti sites, though carrier activation was only 50 per cent at 5 per cent Ta concentration, implying compensation by cationic defects. The role of the Ti vacancy ( V Ti ) and Ti 3+ was studied via XAS and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, respectively. It was found that, in films with strong FM, the V Ti signal was strong while the Ti 3+ signal was absent. We propose (in the absence of any obvious exchange mechanisms) that the localized magnetic moments, V Ti sites, are ferromagnetically ordered by itinerant carriers. Cationic-defect-induced magnetism is an alternative route to FM in wide-band-gap semiconducting oxides without any magnetic elements.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1364-503X
,
1471-2962
DOI:
10.1098/rsta.2012.0198
Language:
English
Publisher:
The Royal Society
Publication Date:
2012
detail.hit.zdb_id:
208381-4
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1462626-3
SSG:
11
SSG:
5,1
SSG:
5,21
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