Magnetic and Electronic Properties of Reduced Rutile Ti1-xMnxO2-δ Thin Films

Magnetic and electronic properties of reduced rutile titanium dioxide $(TiO_{2-\delta})$ thin films doped by Mn have been investigated. The present sol-gel-grown semiconducting $TiO_{2-\delta}:Mn$ films exhibit a ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature for a limited range of Mn content. The Mn-doped films have p-type electrical conductivity with the carrier concentration near $10^{19}\;cm^{-3}$. The observed room-temperature ferromagnetism is believed to be intrinsic but not related to free carriers such as holes. Oxygen vacancies are likely to contribute to the room-temperature ferromagnetism-trapped carriers in oxygen vacancies can mediate a ferromagnetic coupling between neighboring $Mn^{+3}$ ions. The energy band-gap change due to the Mn doping measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry exhibits a red-shift compared to that of the undoped sample at low Mn content. It is explainable in terms of strong spin-exchange interactions between Mn ion and the carrier.