Structural and magnetic properties of a series of low-doped Zn1-xCoxO thin films deposited from Zn and Co metal targets on (0001) Al2O3 substrates

We report on the synthesis of low doping Zn1-xCoxO (0<0.1) thin films on (0001)-O-Al2(3) substrates. The films were prepared in an oxidizing atmosphere, using the pulsed-laser deposition technique starting from Zn and Co metallic targets. We first studied the influence of the strains of ZnO and their structural properties. Second, we investigated the structural and the magnetic properties of the Zn1-xCoxO films. We show that at low doping, the lattice parameters and the magnetization of the Zn1-xCoxO films depend strongly on the Co concentration. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.