An "s-Electron" Donor Band Driven Metallic Ferromagnetism in Co-Doped ZnO Films.

ABSTRACT: Achieving room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) in diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) has been a long-standing challenge, with doping transition metals (TM) into oxide semiconductors being one of the most common approaches. However, the underlying physical mechanisms remain poorly understood, particularly for Co-doped ZnO (Co:ZnO) films, which exhibit high Curie temperatures (Tc) above 300 K. A promising mechanism proposed for high-Tc ferromagnetism is the donor impurity band exchange model, in which donor electrons mediate the coupling between TM spins. Despite its theoretical significance, the nature of the donor band electrons has yet to be experimentally identified. In this work, we use polarization-dependent, bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES) to invest

SUBMITTER: Chuang PY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12561263 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature