Fabrication of Mn-doped ZnO diluted magnetic semiconductor nanostructures by chemical vapor deposition

Mn-doped ZnO diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) nanostructures were prepared by direct reaction of zinc metal and manganese chloride powder under oxygen environment using chemical vapor deposition method. Several kinds of nanostructures including nanorod, bowl, and cage were obtained at different deposition temperature zones. The morphologies and crystal structures of the as-synthesized nanostructures were characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction spectroscopy. Superconducting quantum interference device measurement shows that the doped nanorods exhibited low-temperature ferromagnetism at 5 K with Curie temperature around 37 K, whereas the DMS nanocrystalline bowl/cage structures have room-temperature ferromagnetic behavior. (C) 2006 American Institute of Physics.