Effects of carbothermal annealing on structure defects, electrical and magnetic properties in Fe-doped In2O3

Fe-doped In2O3 powders were treated by the carbothermal annealing method, and phase transition from a paramagnetic insulator to a ferromagnetic metallic state was observed. No trace of any other impurity phase was detected in the carbothermally annealed samples with Fe content up to 16%. Rietveld refinements of X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectra revealed that a large amount of interstitial indiums and oxygen vacancies were introduced with carbothermal annealing. These defects play an important role in inducing the ferromagnetism and metallic conductivity.