Microstructural, optical and magnetic properties of cobalt-doped zinc oxysulfide thin films

• Published in: Materials chemistry and physics Vol. 130; no. 1; pp. 800 - 805
• Main Authors: Polat, İ., Aksu, S., Altunbaş, M., Bacaksız, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 17.10.2011
• Subjects: Annealing; Co-doped zinc oxysulfide; Cobalt; Diffusion; Doping; Ferromagnetism; Magnetic properties; Microstructure; Optical properties; Semiconductors; Thin films; XPS; Zinc; Thin films; Co-doped zinc oxysulfide; Annealing; XPS; Ferromagnetism; Semiconductors
• ISSN: 0254-0584; 1879-3312
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matchemphys.2011.07.069

► Zinc oxysulfide thin films were fabricated by spray pyrolysis method. ► Elemental Co was deposited onto Zn(O,S) thin films by using electron beam evaporation and annealed under vacuum at different temperatures. ► Structural, optical and magnetic studies of Co-doped ZnS have been investigated. ► The X-ray diffraction patterns and SEM show that the films grow with a highly pronounced texture along (0 0 2) ZnS. ► Magnetic measurements show that Co-doped zinc oxysulfide thin films exhibit a ferromagnetism behavior at room temperature. In this paper, we investigated the microstructural, optical and magnetic properties of Co-doped zinc oxysulfide films. Undoped zinc oxysulfide films were deposited by a spray pyrolysis method on glass. A thin Co layer evaporated on these films served as the source for the diffusion doping. Doping was accomplished by annealing the stack layers at the temperature range from 573 K to 723 K in steps of 50 K for 45 min under vacuum. The X-ray diffraction pattern of undoped films revealed the presence of two wurtzite phases corresponding to ZnS and ZnO with a strong preferred orientation along the ZnS (0 0 2) hexagonal plane direction. Results from scanning electron microscopy showed a similar surface morphology for the undoped and Co-doped films, displaying regular arrays of hexagonal micro-rods perpendicular to the substrate. The quantitative energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results revealed a sulfur-rich (∼39 at.% S) and oxygen-poor (∼8 at.% O) chemical composition with about 3 at.% Co doping in the sample prepared by annealing at 673 K. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirmed that Co 2+ ions were substituted for Zn 2+ ions in this film. The optical transmission measurements showed that both undoped and Co diffusion-doped films had a low average transmittance in the range of 8–18%. A decrease in the band gap was observed with Co-doping and increasing diffusion-doping temperatures. The magnetization of films as a function of magnetic field and temperature were measured. Clear ferromagnetic loops were observed for the Co-doped zinc oxysulfide film prepared at 673 K.