Ferromagnetism in laser ablated ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO thin films: A comparative study from magnetization and Hall effect measurements

Room temperature FM was observed in pristine ZnO thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on Al2O3 substrates. It seems to originate from other defects but not oxygen vacancies. Magnetization of thinner films is much larger than that of the thicker films, indicating that defects are mostly located at the surface and/or the interface between the film and the substrate. Data on the Fe:ZnO and Mn:ZnO films show that a transition-metal doping does not play any essential role in introducing the magnetism into ZnO. In the case of Mn doping, the magnetic moment could be very slightly enhanced. Hall effect measurements reveal that an incorporation of Mn does not change the carrier type, but decreases the carrier concentration, and increases the Hall mobility, resulting in more resistive Mn:ZnO films. Since no anomalous Hall effect was observed, it is understood that the observed FM is not due to the interaction between the free-carrier and the Mn impurity.