Magnetic and Optical Properties of Fe-Doped SnO2 Thin Films Prepared by Electron Beam Evaporation Technique

• Published in: Journal of superconductivity and novel magnetism Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 995 - 999
• Main Authors: Ghanaatshoar, M., Moradi, M., Khodabandeh, Z.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.04.2013; Springer
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Cold working, work hardening; annealing, quenching, tempering, recovery, and recrystallization; textures; Condensed Matter Physics; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Deposition; Evaporation; Exact sciences and technology; Ferromagnetism; Iron; Magnetic Materials; Magnetic properties and materials; Magnetism; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Microscopy; Molecular, atomic, ion, and chemical beam epitaxy; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Original Paper; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Strongly Correlated Systems; Studies of specific magnetic materials; Superconductivity; Thin films; Tin dioxide; Tin oxides; Treatment of materials and its effects on microstructure and properties; Transparent conductive films; Fe-doping; Tin oxide; Electron beam evaporation; Atomic force microscopy; RBS; Annealing; Transparency; Doping; Visible spectra; Iron; XRD; Magnetic force microscopy; Thin films; Optical properties; Iron additions; Magnetic properties
• ISSN: 1557-1939; 1557-1947
• DOI: 10.1007/s10948-012-1942-1

We have investigated the optical and magnetic properties of Fe-doped SnO 2 thin films that were deposited through a couple of distinct procedures using the electron beam evaporation technique. In the first procedure, which is the common one, each deposition target was prepared by mixing SnO 2 and Fe powders and, in the second one, tin oxide and iron targets were prepared separately. Visible spectrum analysis revealed that the average optical transparency of as-deposited SnO 2 :Fe films decreased with Fe-doping level. In addition, the optical transparency of the produced films was improved by annealing. Deposited films were also analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, magnetic force microscopy, and phase detection microscopy. It has been revealed that Fe islands have been formed in the films which were produced by the second method. These thin layers also manifested ferromagnetic properties, while those which were deposited by the first procedure were not capable of yielding room-temperature ferromagnetism.