Structural, optical and magnetic properties of stencil-free printed ZnO layers doped with Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions

• Published in: Materials chemistry and physics 2022-01, Vol.276, p.125329, Article 125329
• Main Authors: Pekar, G.S., Singaеvsky, A.F., Kolomys, O.F., Strelchuk, V.V., Lytvyn, P.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cobalt; Doping; Fe2+and Fe3+ doped ZnO; Ferric ions; Ferromagnetism; Ferrous ions; Hematite; Impurities; Inclusions; Iron oxides; Magnetic fields; Magnetic properties; Magnetism; Magnetization; Magnetization at room temperature; Optical properties; Photoluminescence; Printed polycrystalline layers; Raman spectroscopy; Uniform distribution of Fe ions In the Zn sites; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 0254-0584; 1879-3312
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2021.125329

In this paper we investigate the doping effect of FeO and Fe2 O3 on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of ZnO layers prepared by a new stencil-free technique. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atom force and magnetic force microscopy, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. A quite high quality of the printed Fe-doped ZnO layers was demonstrated. It was shown that the incorporated Fe2+ or Fe3+ ions substitute Zn2+ ions in ZnO lattice and, unlike the doped layers prepared by other technological methods, were uniformly distributed in the Zn2+ sites. The levels of doping with different impurities that make it possible to obtain layers free of second phase inclusions were established. The printed ZnO:Fe layers illustrated pronounced ferromagnetic behavior at ambient conditions. The values of the magnetic field correlated with the impurity content. The value of magnetization of the ZnO:Fe3+ layers was shown to be approximately twice that of the printed ZnO:Fe2+ layers. At the same time, magnetization of ZnO:Fe2+ layers was approximately the same as of the printed ZnO:Co2+ and ZnO:Mn2+ layers studied by us previously. The higher magnetization observed in ZnO:Fe3+ layers was supposed to be due to the carrier-mediated mechanism of magnetization in these layers. •Polycrystalline layers of ZnO doped with Fe2+and Fe3+ ions are manufactured by a method of stencil-free printing developed.•The printed Fe-doped ZnO layers exhibit ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature.•The value of magnetization in the ZnO:Fe3+ layers is twice that in the printed layers of ZnO:Fe2+, ZnO:Co2+ and ZnO:Mn2+.•A simple and cheap method for stencil-free printing of DMS layers is promising for fabricating the spintronics elements.