Strain dependent defect mediated ferromagnetism in Mn-doped and undoped ZnO thin films

The structural and magnetic properties of pulsed laser deposited zinc oxide thin films have been investigated. Room temperature ferromagnetism is present in undoped as well as Mn-doped films. The saturation magnetization of the thin films reveals a dependence on both the composition and the out of plane lattice parameter. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism down to 2 K reveals a purely paramagnetic contribution from the Mn in Mn:ZnO films. We conclude that the observed ferromagnetism arises entirely from intrinsic defects in the ZnO which can be varied by manipulation of the lattice parameter. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3455856]