Fe-ZnO as an oxide-dilute magnetic semiconductor in the nanostructured ZnFeO exchange bias system
Exchange biasing of oxide-DMSs (dilute magnetic semiconductors) in exchange bias nanostructures, which are essential for use in spin-based electronic devices, presents a challenge because, in the available literature, exchange coupling typically occurs between secondary phases, with oxide-DMS not be...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Materials Research Express |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/adee81 |
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| Summary: | Exchange biasing of oxide-DMSs (dilute magnetic semiconductors) in exchange bias nanostructures, which are essential for use in spin-based electronic devices, presents a challenge because, in the available literature, exchange coupling typically occurs between secondary phases, with oxide-DMS not being involved. The experimental results presented in this study are consistent with the participation of Fe-doped ZnO (oxide-DMS) as a ferromagnetic (FM) component in the exchange bias (EB) of the ZnFeO system. The study was conducted on ZnFeO nanostructured systems with a 2 at% iron concentration, which were processed by the decomposition of Zn-Fe-propionates and annealing in an Ar-5%H _2 atmosphere at temperatures between 480 °C and 510 °C and times between 60 min and 100 min. The magnetization investigations support the coexistence of an FM phase with a Curie temperature above 300 K, an antiferromagnetic phase with a Neel transition, T _N , at about 200 K and a disordered spin-glass-like phase with a transition, T _SG , at about 50 K. All samples show the EB effect, characterised by a high EB blocking temperature, T _B ≈ 200 K, and/or a low EB blocking temperature, T _B ≈ 50 K. The analysis of experimental data provides evidence for the exchange biasing of Fe-ZnO (oxide-DMS) by the FeO (AFM) phase and/or SG phase. The exchange-biasing of Fe-ZnO oxide-DMS is promising for developing new materials (e.g., FM electrodes) to improve the efficiency of injecting highly spin-polarised currents in spintronic devices and to increase the device operating temperature. |
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| ISSN: | 2053-1591 |