Electronic structure of the dilute magnetic semiconductorZn0.90Mn0.10Sobtained by soft x-ray spectroscopy and first-principles calculations

Abstract

Soft x-ray emission and absorption spectra of the Mn ${L}_{2,3}$-edge were obtained from the diluted magnetic semiconductor ${\mathrm{Zn}}_{0.90}{\mathrm{Mn}}_{0.10}\mathrm{S}$, and interpreted with the aid of first-principles computations of the densities of states. The calculations reveal that the Mn $d$ states near the Fermi energy show interesting spin polarization, and are strongly hybridized with the neighboring S atoms, indicative of the $sp\text{\penalty1000-\hskip0pt}d$ hybridization typical of dilute magnetic semiconductors. Resonant inelastic x-ray measurements reveal a 3-eV inelastic energy loss, which is interpreted as a transition from the Mn valence-band $d$ states to a spin-flip multiplet of the $3{d}^{5}$ ground-state configuration, while a 6-eV loss is attributed to observed charge-transfer effects caused by hybridization between the S $p$ states and the occupied Mn $d$ states located a few eV below the Fermi energy.