Effect of Al co-doping on the electrical and magnetic properties of Cu-doped ZnO nanorods

We investigated the electrical and magnetic properties of Cu-doped ZnO and (Al, Cu) co-doped ZnO nanorods synthesized by the magnetron sputtering technique. Structural analysis indicated that Cu and Al occupied Zn sites and did not change the wurtzite structure of the ZnO nanorods. Magnetic measurements demonstrated that Cu-doped and (Al, Cu) co-doped ZnO nanorods are ferromagnetic at room temperature. Compared with Cu-doped ZnO nanorods, (Al, Cu)-co-doped ZnO nanorods had higher carrier concentrations. Results suggested that (Al, Cu)-co-doped ZnO diluted magnetic semi-conductor nanorods may be applied as an efficient source of polarized spins for injection into devices because of their low resistance and high carrier concentration.