Improved ferromagnetism of (Zn0.93Mn0.07)O through rapid thermal annealing

After annealing at 900°C, the ferromagnetic properties of (Zn0.93Mn0.07)O thin films were dramatically improved. The resultant remanent magnetization (Mr) and Curie temperature (TC) were 1.17μB∕Mn and 83K. The improvement of ferromagnetism was confirmed to as resulting from the enhancement of magnetic anisotropy. This result is attributed to the improvement of crystallinity and the stabilization of unstably bonded Mn2+ ions by thermal treatments. These results suggest that ferromagnetism of (Zn1−xMnx)O thin films can be improved by modifying the crystal magnetic anisotropy through postgrowth thermal treatments.