Optical and ferromagnetic characteristics of Mn doped ZnO thin films grown by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique

Mn doped ZnO (ZnO:Mn) thin films with ~ 10 at.% of Mn were grown on quartz substrates by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technique at low substrate temperature (≤ 200 °C). The influence of substrate temperature and oxygen flow rate on the optical, electrical and magnetic properties of the ZnO:Mn thin films was studied. Both room temperature ferromagnetism and ultraviolet photoluminescence were observed in all films. A maximum saturation moment of 2.9 × 10−24 A m2/Mn can be achieved for the films grown in an optimum condition. This suggests that the fabrication of high-quality ZnO:Mn films by FCVA technique has the potential to realize efficient magneto-optic devices operating at ultraviolet regime.