Divacancies induced ferromagnetism in 3C-SiC thin films

3C-SiC thin films were prepared by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. We performed a study on the effect of C/Si ratio on ferromagnetic properties and microstructures of 3C-SiC thin films. The 3C-SiC thin films show ferromagnetic behavior within the scope of C/Si ratio in our study. An initial increase in C/Si ratio leads to the enhancement of magnetization, while further increasing C/Si ratio reduces the magnetization. The ferromagnetism is associated with divacancy concentration in 3C-SiC thin films. Our study reveals that the ferromagnetism of 3C-SiC thin films is stable at room temperature, and this may be helpful for clarifying the current controversy of the ferromagnetism origin in diluted magnetism semiconductor. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.