Electronic and magnetic properties of V- and Cr-doped zinc-blende AlN

Abstract

The electronic and magnetic properties of the zinc-blende aluminum nitride doped with V and Cr are studied using the density functional theory (DFT), namely the KKR-CPA-PBE method. Pure AlN is found to be a wide band gap semiconductor, and doping V and Cr single impurities generate ferromagnetic half-metallic behavior. Moreover, the values of the formation energy reveal that these compounds are stable systems for all dopant concentrations. A self-consistent energy minimization scheme determines the ferromagnetic state as the stable magnetic state for V- and Cr-doping AlN. A double exchange mechanism is identified as the mechanism responsible for magnetism in our systems. When increasing doping impurities, the total magnetic moments increase linearly and the Curie temperature T C , calculated using the mean-field approximation, shows a significant change. The present findings reveal Cr- and V-doped zinc-blende AlN as potential candidates for high Curie temperature ferromagnetic materials.