Correlated substitution in paramagnetic Mn{sup 2+}-doped ZnO epitaxial films

Epitaxial films of Mn2+-doped ZnO were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(0001) using targets created from Mn{sup 2+}-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, Mn(II) was found to substitute for Zn(II) in the wuertzite ZnO lattice with only a paramagnetic dichroic component from the Mn and no magnetic component from either the O or Zn. The dichroism reveals that, while substitutional, the Mn{sup 2+} distribution in the ZnO lattice is not stochastic. Rather, Mn{sup 2+} has a tendency to substitute with higher effective local concentrations than anticipated from a stochastic doping model.