Optical and magnetic properties of Mn doped ZnO thin films grown by SILAR method S. Balamurali • R. Chandramohan • N. Suriyamurthy • P. Parameswaran • M. Karunakaran • V. Dhanasekaran • T. Mahalingam Received: 16 October 2012 / Accepted: 23 November 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012 Abstract Polycrystalline Mn doped ZnO (MZO) semi- conductor thin films were deposited onto glass substrates employing different number of dipping at room tempera- ture using Successive Ionic Layers by Adsorption Reaction (SILAR) technique. The thin film deposition conditions were optimized by altering the various deposition parameters based on their structure. The structural study was carried out using X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The XRD analysis indi- cated that there is no change in the structure of ZnO thin films due to Mn doping. The films exhibited hexagonal wurtzite structure. The structural studies on Mn doped samples revealed that the predominant orientation is (002) lattice plane and the position of this orientation shifted toward lower angle during doping. The intensity of photolumines- cence (PL) emission of ZnO is found to be augmented for Mn doped samples. The room temperature Raman spectra mea- surements revealed the presence of additional modes. The Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) studies show that MZO thin film has ferromagnetic properties. 1 Introduction In the past few decades, many researchers have focused their attention on the synthesis and characterization of Dilute Magnetic Semiconductor (DMS) systems [1, 2]. The tran- sition metal (TM) ions like Ni, Co, Mn and Cr are usually doped onto the semiconductor metal oxide thin films to yield DMS thin films. Usually the metallic dopant atoms rest on the host’s cationic sites. Depending on their oxidation state, manganese ions have various colors and are used industrially as pigments. In biology, manganese (II) ions function as cofactors for a large variety of enzymes with many functions. Manganese enzymes are particularly essential in detoxifi- cation of superoxide free radicals in organisms that need elemental oxygen. Manganese also functions in the oxygen- evolving complex of photosynthetic plants. The element is a required trace mineral for all known living organisms. In larger amounts, and apparently with far greater activity by inhalation, manganese can cause a poisoning syndrome in mammals, with neurological damage which is sometimes irreversible. Mn incorporation in metal oxide systems is interesting because of the band gap variations based on the percentage of Mn ion introduced and the property of the MZO film is essential for wide-ranging applications. Among the oxide semi conducting materials, ZnO is one of the most important oxide material [1]. ZnO has interesting properties S. Balamurali Manonmaniam Sundarnar University, Tirunelveli 627012, India S. Balamurali  R. Chandramohan (&) Department of Physics, Sree Sevugan-Annamalai College, Devakottai 630303, India e-mail: rathinam.chandramohan@gmail.com N. Suriyamurthy Radiological Safety Division Center, IGCAR, Kalpakam 603102, India P. Parameswaran Materials Science Group, IGCAR, Kalpakam 603102, India M. Karunakaran Department of Physics, Sethupathy Government Arts College, Ramanathapuram 623502, India V. Dhanasekaran Department of Physics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630003, India T. Mahalingam Department of Physics, School of Science and Humanities, Karunya University, Coimbatore 641116, India 123 J Mater Sci: Mater Electron DOI 10.1007/s10854-012-1012-2