C-doped ZnO nanowires: Electronic structures, magnetic properties, and a possible spintronic device

Electronic structures, magnetic properties, and spin-dependent electron transport characteristics of C-doped ZnO nanowires have been investigated via first-principles method based on density functional theory and nonequilibrium techniques of Green's functions. Our calculations show that the doping of carbon atoms in a ZnO nanowire could induce strong magnetic moments in the wire, and the electronic structures as well as the magnetic properties of the system sensitively depend on partial hydrogenation. Based on these findings, we proposed a quasi-1d tunneling magnetic junction made of a partially hydrogenated C-doped ZnO nanowire, which shows a high tunneling magnetoresistance ratio, and could be the building block of a new class of spintronic devices. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3562375]