First-principles computational exploration of ferromagnetism in monolayer GaS via substitutional doping

Abstract

Using first-principles calculations, functionalization of the monolayer-GaS crystal structure through N or Cr-doping at all possible lattice sites has been investigated. Our results show that pristine monolayer-GaS is an indirect-bandgap, non-magnetic semiconductor. The bandgap can be tuned and a magnetic moment (MM) can be induced by the introduction of N or Cr atomic anion/cation doping in monolayer GaS. For instance, the intrinsic character of monolayer GaS can be changed by substitution of N for the S-site to p-type, while substitution of Cr at the S-site or Ga-site induces half-metallicity at sufficiently high concentrations. The defect states are located in the electronic bandgap region of the GaS monolayer. These findings help to extend the application of monolayer-GaS structures in nano-electronics and spintronics. Since the S-sites at the surface are more easily accessible to doping in experiment, we chose the S-site for further investigations. Finally, we perform calculations with ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) alignment of the MMs at the dopants. For pairs of impurities of the same species at low concentrations we find Cr atoms to prefer the FM state, while N atoms prefer the AFM state, both for impurities on opposite surfaces of the GaS monolayer and for impurities sharing a common Ga neighbor sitting at the same surface. Extending our study to higher concentrations of Cr atoms, we find that clusters of four Cr atoms prefer AFM coupling, whereas the FM coupling is retained for Cr atoms at larger distance arranged on a honeycomb lattice. For the latter arrangement, we estimate the FM Curie temperature T C to be 241 K. We conclude that the Cr-doped monolayer-GaS crystal structure offers enhanced electronic and magnetic properties and is an appealing candidate for spintronic devices operating close to room temperature.