Magnetic and electronic properties of Fe and Ni codoped SnO2

We have investigated Fe and Ni codoping effect into SnO2. Room-temperature diluted ferromagnetic semiconductors with the enhancement of magnetization can be prepared in case of codoping. The saturation magnetization can be controlled by means of the Fe and Ni codoping ratios. The electronic structures were investigated by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and Mossbauer spectrometry. Fe3+ states were revealed by the isomer shift values. XAS revealed Ni2+ states, which suggests that the double-exchange-like ferromagnetic interaction between the diluted magnetic ions mediated by oxygen vacancies becomes a possible origin of room-temperature ferromagnetism. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4754454]