Room temperature ferromagnetism of Fe-doped In2O3 nanodot arrays fabricated by porous anodized aluminum templates

The oxide-based diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) with Curie temperatures, T_c, at or above room temperature (RT) have attracted great interest due to their potential applications in spintronic devices. Among them, the Fe-doped In₂O₃ DMS has attracted considerable interest because of the high solubility of Fe in the In₂O₃ matrix, excellent electrical conductivity, and high optical transparency. In the past decades, many research activities have been focused on the bulk and thin films of Fe-doped In₂O₃. However, due to the advantages of their small size, low-dimensional characteristics and unique magnetic properties, magnetic semiconductor nanodot arrays provide a promising way to apply spin-dependent functions to semiconductor microelectronics and nanotechnology. With this motivation, here we present the first study of growing Fe-doped In₂O₃ nanodot arrays on Al₂O₃ (0001) substrates using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with the aid of porous anodized aluminum (PAA) templates, and provide the insights into the origin of the RT ferromagnetism in Fe-doped In₂O₃ nanodot arrays by a comprehensive analysis of structure, morphology and magnetic properties of the arrays.