The semiconductor ZnO has gained substantial interest in the research community in part because of its large exciton binding energy (60meV) which could lead to lasing action based on exciton recombination even above room temperature. Even though research focusing on ZnO goes back many decades, the renewed interest is fueled by availability of high-quality substrates and reports of p-type conduction and ferromagnetic behavior when doped with transitions metals, both of which remain controversial. It is this renewed interest in ZnO which forms the basis of this review. As mentioned already, ZnO is not new to the semiconductor field, with studies of its lattice parameter dating back to 1935 by Bunn [Proc. Phys. Soc. London 47, 836 (1935)], studies of its vibrational properties with Raman scattering in 1966 by Damen et al. [Phys. Rev. 142, 570 (1966)], detailed optical studies in 1954 by Mollwo [Z. Angew. Phys. 6, 257 (1954)], and its growth by chemical-vapor transport in 1970 by Galli and Coker [Appl. Phys. ...

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A comprehensive review of zno materials and devices

Dilute ferromagnetic oxides having Curie temperatures far in excess of 300 K and exceptionally large ordered moments per transition-metal cation challenge our understanding of magnetism in solids. These materials are high-k dielectrics with degenerate or thermally activated n-type semiconductivity. Conventional super-exchange or double-exchange interactions cannot produce long-range magnetic order at concentrations of magnetic cations of a few percent. We propose that ferromagnetic exchange here, and in dilute ferromagnetic nitrides, is mediated by shallow donor electrons that form bound magnetic polarons, which overlap to create a spin-split impurity band. The Curie temperature in the mean-field approximation varies as (xdelta)(1/2) where x and delta are the concentrations of magnetic cations and donors, respectively. High Curie temperatures arise only when empty minority-spin or majority-spin d states lie at the Fermi level in the impurity band. The magnetic phase diagram includes regions of semiconducting and metallic ferromagnetism, cluster paramagnetism, spin glass and canted antiferromagnetism.

Donor impurity band exchange in dilute ferromagnetic oxides.

High concentrations of defects are introduced into nanoscale ZnO through non-equilibrium processes and resultant blue emissions are comprehensively analyzed, focusing on defect origins and broad controls. Some ZnO nanoparticles exhibit very strong blue emissions, the intensity of which first increase and then decrease with annealing. These visible emissions exhibit strong and interesting excitation dependences: 1) the optimal excitation energy for blue emissions is near the bandgap energy, but the effective excitation can obviously be lower, even 420 nm (2.95 eV < Eg = 3.26 eV); in contrast, green emissions can be excited only by energies larger than the bandgap energy; and, 2) there are several fixed emitting wavelengths at 415, 440, 455 and 488 nm in the blue wave band, which exhibit considerable stability in different excitation and annealing conditions. Mechanisms for blue emissions from ZnO are proposed with interstitial-zinc-related defect levels as initial states. EPR spectra reveal the predominance of interstitial zinc in as-prepared samples, and the evolutions of coexisting interstitial zinc and oxygen vacancies with annealing. Furthermore, good controllability of visible emissions is achieved, including the co-emission of blue and green emissions and peak adjustment from blue to yellow.

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Blue Luminescence of ZnO Nanoparticles Based on Non‐Equilibrium Processes: Defect Origins and Emission Controls

The body of research on (III,Mn)V diluted magnetic semiconductors initiated during the 1990's has concentrated on three major fronts: i) the microscopic origins and fundamental physics of the ferromagnetism that occurs in these systems, ii) the materials science of growth and defects and iii) the development of spintronic devices with new functionalities. This article reviews the current status of the field, concentrating on the first two, more mature research directions. From the fundamental point of view, (Ga,Mn)As and several other (III,Mn)V DMSs are now regarded as textbook examples of a rare class of robust ferromagnets with dilute magnetic moments coupled by delocalized charge carriers. Both local moments and itinerant holes are provided by Mn, which makes the systems particularly favorable for realizing this unusual ordered state. Advances in growth and post-growth treatment techniques have played a central role in the field, often pushing the limits of dilute Mn moment densities and the uniformity and purity of materials far beyond those allowed by equilibrium thermodynamics. In (III,Mn)V compounds, material quality and magnetic properties are intimately connected. In the review we focus on the theoretical understanding of the origins of ferromagnetism and basic structural, magnetic, magneto-transport, and magneto-optical characteristics of simple (III,Mn)V epilayers, with the main emphasis on (Ga,Mn)As. The conclusions we arrive at are based on an extensive literature covering results of complementary ab initio and effective Hamiltonian computational techniques, and on comparisons between theory and experiment.

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Theory of ferromagnetic (III, Mn) V semiconductors

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide band gap semiconductor with potential applications in optoelectronics, transparent electronics, and spintronics. The high efficiency of UV emission in this material could be harnessed in solid-state white lighting devices. The problem of defects, in particular, acceptor dopants, remains a key challenge. In this review, defects in ZnO are discussed, with an emphasis on the physical properties of point defects in bulk crystals. As grown, ZnO is usually n-type, a property that was historically ascribed to native defects. However, experiments and theory have shown that O vacancies are deep donors, while Zn interstitials are too mobile to be stable at room temperature. Group-III (B, Al, Ga, and In) and H impurities account for most of the n-type conductivity in ZnO samples. Interstitial H donors have been observed with IR spectroscopy, while substitutional H donors have been predicted from first-principles calculations but not observed directly. Despite numerous reports, reliable p-t...

Defects in ZnO

The search for ferromagnetism above room temperature in dilute magnetic semiconductors has been intense in recent years. We report the first observations of ferromagnetism above room temperature for dilute ( 700 °C) methods were used, samples were found to exhibit clustering and were not ferromagnetic at room temperature. This capability to fabricate ferromagnetic Mn-doped ZnO semiconductors promises new spintronic devices as well as magneto-optic components.

Ferromagnetism above room temperature in bulk and transparent thin films of Mn-doped ZnO

The role of Ti in improving the thermodynamics of hydrogen desorption in crystalline sodium alanate (NaAlH4) has been investigated by using the density functional theory. The total energy calculations reveal that Ti prefers to occupy the Na site over that of the Al site when the atomic energies are used as the reference. However, the use of the cohesive energies of Al, Na, and Ti leads to the Al site being the least unfavorable one. Irrespective of whether Ti occupies the Na or the Al site, the energy necessary to remove a hydrogen atom from Ti substituted sodium alanate is significantly lowered from that of the pure alanate. The understanding gained here may help in designing hydrogen storage materials suitable for industrial applications.

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Role of titanium in hydrogen desorption in crystalline sodium alanate

The high pressure behavior of titanium metal is investigated experimentally using angle dispersive synchrotron x-ray diffraction as well as theoretically using ab initio electronic structure methods. Our calculations predict a direct \ensuremath{\omega} to bcc transformation around 80 GPa without any intermediate crystal phases. The ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ (bcc-structure) Ti phase was experimentally observed to coexist with the \ensuremath{\omega} phase at pressures between 40 and 80 GPa on compression at ambient temperature. High-temperature treatment at 80 GPa results in a formation of a new \ensuremath{\eta} phase with a monoclinically distorted bcc structure. On decompression the \ensuremath{\eta} phase transforms to the pure ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ phase.

Titanium metal at high pressure : Synchrotron experiments and ab initio calculations

A full-profile refinement of the layered antiferromagnetic ${\mathrm{FeI}}_{2}$ crystallographic structures at pressures up to 70 GPa were performed combined with ab initio calculations to particularly elucidate the structural aspects of the recently observed pressure-induced quenching of the orbital term of the ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{2+}$ moment and of the Mott transition. Synchrotron powder XRD diffraction studies have shown that at $\ensuremath{\sim}17\mathrm{GPa}$ a substantial alteration of the lattice parameters takes place which is attributed to the quenching of the orbital term. Starting at $P\ensuremath{\sim}20\mathrm{GPa}$ and completed at $\ensuremath{\sim}35\mathrm{GPa},$ a sluggish structural phase transition takes place which can be attributed to the onset of a Mott transition as has been previously observed by resistance and MS studies. In agreement with ab initio calculations, the doubling of lattice parameters and the formation of a new Fe sublattice replacing the original ${\mathrm{CdI}}_{2}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{y}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{e}$ structure, can explain this structural transition. The latter alterations in the Fe sublattice may indicate a trend of the Fe sites to disorder in the new high pressure phase. This first-order phase transition is characterized by a significant change of the unit cell parameters, a reduction in volume, and a change of the Fe-I distances. The substantial reduction of the Fe-I distances with minimal changes in the Fe-Fe bond lengths at the transition, suggests a charge-transfer-type gap closure mechanism involving the $\mathrm{I}p\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Fe}d$ bands. At $\mathrm{P}g40\mathrm{GPa}$ a overturn of the structural transition is observed resulting in the return of the original, ${\mathrm{CdI}}_{2}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{t}\mathrm{y}\mathrm{p}\mathrm{e}$ structure.

Pressure-induced structural transformations in the Mott insulator FeI 2

There is an ongoing effort to replace rare and expensive noble-element catalysts with more abundant and less expensive transition metal oxides. With this goal in mind, the intrinsic defects of a rhombohedral perovskite-like structure of LaMnO3 and their implications on CO catalytic properties were studied. Surface thermodynamic stability as a function of pressure (P) and temperature (T) were calculated to find the most stable surface under reaction conditions (P=0.2 atm, T=323 K to 673 K). Crystallographic planes (100), (111), (110), and (211) were evaluated and it was found that (110) with MnO2 termination was the most stable under reaction conditions. Adsorption energies of O2 and CO on (110) as well as the effect of intrinsic defects such as Mn and O vacancies were also calculated. It was found that O vacancies favor the interaction of CO on the surface, whereas Mn vacancies can favor the formation of carbonate species.

J. M. Osorio Guillen

Papers

Ferromagnetism above room temperature in bulk and transparent thin films of Mn-doped ZnO

Role of titanium in hydrogen desorption in crystalline sodium alanate

Titanium metal at high pressure : Synchrotron experiments and ab initio calculations

Pressure-induced structural transformations in the Mott insulator FeI 2

CO Oxidation Catalytic Effects of Intrinsic Surface Defects in Rhombohedral LaMnO3.