Study On The Oxygen Vacancy Redistribution And The Mechanism Of Electrical Manipulation Of Ferromagnetism In Diluted Magnetic Oxides

Electrical manipulation of room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) has been observed in several kinds of transition metal doped diluted magnetic oxide films. We demonstrate using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy that the redistribution of the oxygen vacancies in a film under an electric field plays a crucial role in the enhancement of the RTFM. Based on a detailed analysis of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data for the oxygen vacancy distribution in different resistive states, a unified mechanism has been proposed. This work points out a new direction for improving the magnetic properties of these materials by controlling oxygen vacancies in the interior of the films. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.