Molecular layer deposition of an organic-based magnetic semiconducting laminate.

Organic-based magnets are intriguing materials with unique magnetic and electronic properties that can be tailored by chemical methodology. By using molecular layer deposition (MLD), we demonstrate the thin film fabrication of VTCNE: tetracyanoethylene, of the first known room temperature organic-based magnet. The resulting films exhibit improvement in surface morphology, larger coercivity (80 Oe), and higher Curie temperature/thermal stability (up to 400 K). Recently, the MLD method has been widely studied to implement fine control of organic film growth for various applications. This work broadens its application to magnetic and charge transfer materials and opens new opportunities for metal-organic hybrid material development and their applications in various multilayer film device structures. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of the multilayer VTCNE as a spin injector combining LSMO, an standard inorganic magnetic semiconductor, for spintronics applications.