Manganese doped gallium oxynitride prepared by nitridation of citrate precursor

Manganese doping of gallium oxynitride was investigated to obtain a magnetic semiconductor by nitriding a precursor in ammonia flow. The precursor was obtained by prefiring a mixed gel made of Mn2+ and Ga3+ nitrates and citric acid in aqueous solution. The products were isostructural with hexagonal GaN. The doping limit was 10 and 5 at% in the samples nitrided at 750 and 850 °C, respectively. Chemical analysis of the products suggested that they were manganese doped gallium oxynitrides. Oxide and nitride ions were randomly distributed in the anion sites in the latter product. Manganese oxide cluster might be formed in the former. The product nitrided at 850 °C showed an antiferromagnetic interaction with a Weiss temperature θ = −38 K, while the product nitrided at 750 °C was paramagnetic.