Structural and magnetic properties of the transition metals (TM=Co, Ni) and Nb co-doped SrTiO3 thin films

Abstract

In this article, we report the fabrication of transition metal (TMdouble bond; length as m-dashCo/Ni) and Nb co-doped SrTiO3 (Ni0.06Nb0.05Sr0.12Ti0.16O0.61 and Co0.08Nb0.05Sr0.11Ti0.15O0.61) thin films of thickness around 1.1 μm on monocrystalline Si (100) substrate by RF sputtering at 350 °C. The as-deposited amorphous films were annealed at 800 °C in vacuum to obtain crystalline structure. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the annealed polycrystalline films are having a cubic perovskite structure. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies, grain size, elements and structure of the films were studied by atomic force microscope, scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The microstructure and selected area electron diffraction (SAED processed pattern) also confirms the perovskite structure of the SrTiO3. The magnetic behaviour of the films was studied by vibrating sample magnetometry and magneto-optic Kerr measurements. The ferromagnetic responses were observed in both materials at room temperature.