Where does the spin reside in ferromagnetic Cu-doped ZnO?

Abstract

The authors report a soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism study of the ferromagnetism in pulsed-laser-deposited Cu-doped ZnO thin films, which display robust room-temperature ferromagnetic signatures using bulk magnetization probes. In this work, the authors probe the spin asymmetries in the Cu 3d, O 2p, and Zn 3d states individually. They find a paramagnetic component originating from the Cu 3d, and no magnetic signal in the O or Zn. They find no dichroic signal consistent with ferromagnetism originating from any of these states. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.