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Properties of MOCVD-Grown GaN:Gd Films for Spintronic Devices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2012

Andrew G. Melton
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
ZhiQiang Liu
Affiliation:
R&D Center for Semiconductor Lighting, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Bahadir Kucukgok
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
Na Lu
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering Technology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
Ian Ferguson
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, 28223, USA
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Abstract

The mechanism leading to RT ferromagnetism in Gd-doped GaN is not agreed upon, despite many experimental and theoretical reports. Oxygen impurities have been proposed as a possible contributor to ferromagnetic behavior in GaN:Gd films. In this report, GaN:Gd thin films grown by MOCVD using two different metalorganic Gd precursors are examined. The two precursors are (TMHD)3Gd, which contains oxygen, and Cp3Gd, which does not. The films have been characterized by XRD, VSM, and EDS. EDS measurements indicate that the TMHD3Gd samples contain oxygen, while the Cp3Gd samples do not, and VSM scans show that the TMHD3Gd samples exhibit much higher magnetic moments than the Cp3Gd samples, supporting the theory that oxygen enhances the ferromagnetic behavior of GaN:Gd.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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References

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