Donor Defect Induced Ferromagnetism in Nb‐Doped ZnO Thin Films Grown by RF Magnetron Sputtering

The effect of Nb doping concentration (0, 1, 2, and 4 at. %) on donor defect‐induced ferromagnetism in ZnO thin films is investigated. The films are deposited on Si(111) substrates utilizing the radio frequency magnetron sputtering. X‐ray diffraction pattern unveils that the films show a pronounced orientation along the (002) direction. The relative intensities of defect‐related bands with that of the ultraviolet band from photoluminescence (PL) spectra show that 2 at. % Nb doping results in a greater number of donor defects (Zn i + and V O + ) in the ZnO lattice. The parameters extracted from the electron paramagnetic resonance spectra follow a similar trend. The results from vibrating sample magnetometer measurement indicate that pure ZnO displays diamagnetic nature, whereas Nb‐doped ZnO exhibits a ferromagnetic nature. The saturation magnetization value is found highest for 2 at. % Nb doping, which correlates with the presence of a greater number of donor defects, as supported by the PL and electron paramagnetic resonance results. Images obtained from atomic force microscopy show that the surface roughness of the ZnO thin film reduces upon Nb doping. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy validates that Nb is doped in 2 at. % Nb‐doped ZnO thin film with Nb oxidation state of +5.