Room temperature magnetoresistance of horizontally aligned Mn-doped ZnO nanowires on terrace edges

•Mn-doped ZnO nanowires laterally aligned on terrace edges of a sapphire substrate.•X-ray scattering study and a magnetization hysteresis loop of Mn-doped ZnO nanowires.•The magnetoresistance of the Mn-doped ZnO NWs as a diluted magnetic semiconductor.

We investigated Mn-doped ZnO nanowires (NWs) laterally aligned on each terrace edge of a sapphire substrate. The Mn-doped ZnO NWs were prepared by a step edge decoration method combined with pulsed laser deposition. The Mn-doped ZnO NWs exhibited strain effects as a function of NW diameters and room temperature ferromagnetism, which are characterized by X-ray scattering and a magnetization hysteresis loop, respectively. In addition, the magnetoresistance of the Mn-doped ZnO NWs as a diluted magnetic semiconductor is found to be −0.2% for 3 T at room temperature.

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