Structural, optical and magnetic properties of Eu-doped ZnO films

Polycrystalline Zn1−xEuxO (x = 0, 0.02, 0.05) films were deposited on silicon (1 0 0) substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The structural, optical and magnetic properties of the films were investigated. The results from both the X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra reveal that Eu3+ ions successfully substitute for Zn2+ ions in the ZnO lattice. The magnetic field and temperature dependence of magnetization curves demonstrate that the Zn0.95Eu0.05O films are ferromagnetic at room temperature. No impurity phase was found in Eu-doped films with X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and zero-field-cooled measurements. The ferromagnetism is attributed to the intrinsic property of Eu-doped ZnO films and could be interpreted by the bound-magnetic-polaron model.

► Eu ions substitute for the Zn2+ ions in the ZnO lattices.
► Room temperature ferromagnetism is obtained from Eu-doped ZnO films.
► The ferromagnetism is attributed to the intrinsic property of Eu-doped films
► The bound-magnetic-polaron is responsible for the ferromagnetism.