Unexpected magnetism in a dielectric oxide

Top Cited Papers
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
It is generally accepted that magnetic order in an insulator requires the cation to have partially filled shells of d or f electrons. Here we show that thin films of hafnium dioxide (HfO2), an insulating oxide better known as a dielectric layer for nanoscale electronic devices, can be ferromagnetic even without doping. This discovery challenges our understanding of magnetism in insulators, because neither Hf4+ nor O2− are magnetic ions and the d and f shells of the Hf4+ ion are either empty or full.

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: