Structural, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Ce–GaN Based Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor

First ever Ce based GaN diluted magnetic semiconductor is reported. MOCVD grown GaN thin films were implanted with 3×1014 cm−2 dose of cerium ions. Photoluminescence (PL), optical transmission, Raman, high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements were performed on samples to study the optical and structural properties of the materials. Band gap narrowing is observed in optical transmission measurements, which points to incorporation of cerium ions into GaN host lattice. Superconducting Quantum Interference device (SQUID) was used in order to investigate the magnetic properties of implanted samples as a function of temperature and applied field. Hysteresis loops were recorded at 100 K and 300 K for implanted and as-grown samples. Hysteresis behavior and temperature-dependent magnetization measurements revealed the presence of ferromagnetic ordering in Ce implanted GaN samples, which points to the realization of Ce:GaN diluted magnetic semiconductor.