Thin Zn1 – xMnxO Films (x = 1–4 at %) by Chemical Bath Deposition: Influence of Dopant Concentration
G. R. Patila, M. B. Shelarb, *, N. J. Kambalea, L. D. Kadama, V. S. Rauta, and B. N. Pawarc
a Department of Physics, Dr. Patangrao Kadam Mahavidyalaya, Ramanandnagar,
Sangli (affiliated to Shivaji University), Maharashtra, India
b Thin Film Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, D.Y. Patil College of Engineering and Technology,
Kolhapur (affiliated to Shivaji University), Maharashtra, India
c Department of Physics, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Yashwantrao Mohite College,
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Correspondence to: *e-mail: maheshshelar29@gmail.com
Received 10 January, 2021
Abstract—Thin films of Zn1–xMnxO (x = 1–4 at %) were applied onto a glass substrate by low-cost chemical bath deposition (CBD). The films were characterized by XRD, UV–VIS absorption spectra, SEM, and vibrating sample magnetometry—with special emphasis on the influence of dopant concentration x. Structural and optical properties of deposited films imply that the Mn2+ ions substituted Zn2+ ions without changing the wurtzite structure of ZnO. No impurity phases were detected in XRD patterns. The band gap in ZnO was found to increase with increasing x. Magnetic measurements showed that Mn-doped ZnO samples exhibited ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature, which tentatively was associated with the replacement of Zn2+ ions by Mn2+ ions in the ZnO lattice.
Keywords: thin Mn-doped ZnO films, chemical bath deposition (CBD), optical properties, ferromagnetism
DOI: 10.3103/S1061386221020096