Meyerheim, H. L., Tusche, C., Ernst, A., Ostanin, S. A., Maznichenko, I. V., Mohseni, K., Jedrecy, N., Zegenhagen, J., Roy, J., Mertig, I., Kirschner, J.
Wurtzite-type CoO nanocrystals in ultrathin ZnCoO films
Physical Review Letters 102, (15),pp 156102/1-4 (2009)
Surface x-ray diffraction experiments reveal that in cobalt-doped ZnO films two to five monolayers thick, Wurtzite-type CoO nanocrystals are coherently embedded within a hexagonal boron-nitride-(h-BN)-type ZnO matrix, supporting the model of a phase separation. First-principles calculations confirm that in contrast with ZnO the formation of h-BN-type CoO is unfavorable in the ultrathin film limit. Our results are important for understanding magnetic properties of transition metal-doped semiconducors in general.
TH-2009-10