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

Enhancement of polarization and related properties in heteroepitaxially constrained thin films of the ferroelectromagnet, BiFeO3, is reported. Structure analysis indicates that the crystal structure of film is monoclinic in contrast to bulk, which is rhombohedral. The films display a room-temperature spontaneous polarization (50 to 60 microcoulombs per square centimeter) almost an order of magnitude higher than that of the bulk (6.1 microcoulombs per square centimeter). The observed enhancement is corroborated by first-principles calculations and found to originate from a high sensitivity of the polarization to small changes in lattice parameters. The films also exhibit enhanced thickness-dependent magnetism compared with the bulk. These enhanced and combined functional responses in thin film form present an opportunity to create and implement thin film devices that actively couple the magnetic and ferroelectric order parameters.

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Epitaxial BiFeO3 multiferroic thin film heterostructures.

Multiferroic materials, which show simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic ordering, exhibit unusual physical properties — and in turn promise new device applications — as a result of the coupling between their dual order parameters. We review recent progress in the growth, characterization and understanding of thin-film multiferroics. The availability of high-quality thin-film multiferroics makes it easier to tailor their properties through epitaxial strain, atomic-level engineering of chemistry and interfacial coupling, and is a prerequisite for their incorporation into practical devices. We discuss novel device paradigms based on magnetoelectric coupling, and outline the key scientific challenges in the field.

Multiferroics: progress and prospects in thin films.

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.

This review covers important advances in recent years in the physics of thin-film ferroelectric oxides, the strongest emphasis being on those aspects particular to ferroelectrics in thin-film form. The authors introduce the current state of development in the application of ferroelectric thin films for electronic devices and discuss the physics relevant for the performance and failure of these devices. Following this the review covers the enormous progress that has been made in the first-principles computational approach to understanding ferroelectrics. The authors then discuss in detail the important role that strain plays in determining the properties of epitaxial thin ferroelectric films. Finally, this review ends with a look at the emerging possibilities for nanoscale ferroelectrics, with particular emphasis on ferroelectrics in nonconventional nanoscale geometries.

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Physics of thin-film ferroelectric oxides

3d-transition-metal-doped ZnO films (n-type Zn1−xMxO (x=005–025): M=Co, Mn, Cr, Ni) are formed on sapphire substrates using a pulsed-laser deposition technique, and their magnetic and electric properties are examined The Co-doped ZnO films showed the maximum solubility limit Some of the Co-doped ZnO films exhibit ferromagnetic behaviors with the Curie temperature higher than room temperature The magnetic properties of Co-doped ZnO films depend on the concentration of Co ions and carriers

Magnetic and electric properties of transition-metal-doped ZnO films

Ferromagnetic spin order has been realized in the LaCrO3-LaFeO3 superlattices. Ferromagnetic coupling between Fe3+ and Cr3+ through oxygen has long been expected on the basis of Anderson, Goodenough, and Kanamori rules. Despite many studies of Fe-O-Cr-based compounds, random positioning of Fe3+ and Cr3+ ions has frustrated the observation of ferromagnetic properties. By creating artificial superlattices of Fe3+ and Cr3+ layer along the [111] direction, ferromagnetic ordering has been achieved.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/280/5366/1064.full.pdf

Ferromagnetism in LaFeO3-LaCrO3 Superlattices

Using high-quality polycrystalline chemical-vapor-deposited diamond films with large grains (/spl sim/100 /spl mu/m), field effect transistors (FETs) with gate lengths of 0.1 /spl mu/m were fabricated. From the RF characteristics, the maximum transition frequency f/sub T/ and the maximum frequency of oscillation f/sub max/ were /spl sim/ 45 and /spl sim/ 120 GHz, respectively. The f/sub T/ and f/sub max/ values are much higher than the highest values for single-crystalline diamond FETs. The dc characteristics of the FET showed a drain-current density I/sub DS/ of 550 mA/mm at gate-source voltage V/sub GS/ of -3.5 V and a maximum transconductance g/sub m/ of 143 mS/mm at drain voltage V/sub DS/ of -8 V. These results indicate that the high-quality polycrystalline diamond film, whose maximum size is 4 in at present, is a most promising substrate for diamond electronic devices.

Diamond FET using high-quality polycrystalline diamond with f/sub T/ of 45 GHz and f/sub max/ of 120 GHz

We have demonstrated the possibility of growing p-type ZnOfilms by a pulsed laser deposition technique combined with plasma gas source. The p-type ZnOfilm has been fabricated by passing N 2Ogas through an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) or RF plasma source. N2Ogas is effective to prevent ‘‘O’’ vacancy from occurring and introduce ‘‘N’’ as an acceptor, at the same time. With Ga and N codoping technique, we have observed a room temperature resistivity of 0.5O cm and a carrier concentration of 5 � 10 19 cm � 3 in ZnOfilm on glass substrate. Two-step growth, with a thin ZnOtemplate layer formed at high temperature, is quite effective to realize a well crystallized growth at low temperature. The observed p-type ZnOfilms will open the door for practical applications in various oxide electronic devices. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 7361Ga; 7155Gs; 7220� i; 8115Fg

http://www.kkcryst.com/ou/pdf/zno/physca01.pdf

Fabrication of the low-resistive p-type ZnO by codoping method

Superconducting thin films of magnesium diboride (MgB2) were prepared on various substrates [SrTiO3 (001), sapphire R, sapphire C and Si (111)] by molecular beam epitaxy The growth temperature was examined in the ambient to 650 °C Only films formed at temperatures between 150 and 320 °C showed superconductivity The best TConset of 36 K with a sharp transition width of ∼1 K was observed The TC of the as-grown superconducting MgB2 thin films is close to the bulk value

Kenji Ueda

Papers

Magnetic and electric properties of transition-metal-doped ZnO films

Ferromagnetism in LaFeO3-LaCrO3 Superlattices

Diamond FET using high-quality polycrystalline diamond with f/sub T/ of 45 GHz and f/sub max/ of 120 GHz

Fabrication of the low-resistive p-type ZnO by codoping method

As-grown superconducting MgB2 thin films prepared by molecular beam epitaxy