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TiO2:Co thin films of high Co concentration were investigated by the high resolution transmission electron microscopy, physical property measurement system and energy dispersive X-ray. The as-deposited films are amorphous magnetic semiconductors and we did not find any Co metal particles in them. The electronic transport process in the low-temperature range below 80 K could be described by the spin-dependent variable-range-hopping process. However, after the samples were annealed at 300 °C, large amounts of Co metal particles were observed to connect each other and the films show a metallic behavior. The origin of ferromagnetism of the thin films is also discussed.r 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TiO2-based magnetic semiconductors with high Co doping concentrations (Ti1-xCoxO2) were synthesized under thermal nonequilibrium condition by sputtering machine. Microstructure and composition analysis by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy indicated that Co element was incorporated into TiO2 to form Ti1-xCoxO2 compound. The direct evidence for the compositional inhomogeneity of the Ti1-xCoxO2 compound was given. Room temperature ferromagnetism with high magnetization was obtained, which could be attributed to the intrinsic properties of the amorphous magnetic semiconductor. The electrical transport in a low temperature range was explained by spin-dependent Efros's variable range hopping, and correspondingly an exponential function of the magnetoresistance versus T-1/2 was found. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.