ZnO, ZnMnO and ZnCoO films grown by atomic layer deposition

Despite many efforts, the origin of a ferromagnetic (FM) response in ZnMnO and ZnCoO is still not clear. Magnetic investigations of our samples, not discussed here, show that the room temperature FM response is observed only in alloys with a non-uniform Mn or Co distribution. Thus, the control of their distribution is crucial for the explanation of contradicted magnetic properties of ZnCoO and ZnMnO reported till now. In this paper, we discuss advantages of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth method, which enables us to control the uniformity of ZnMnO and ZnCoO alloys. Properties of ZnO, ZnMnO and ZnCoO films grown by the ALD are discussed.