Abstract
The electronic and magnetic properties of Fe-doped ZnSnAs2 within chalcopyrite structures have been studied by first-principles calculations using the density functional theory (DFT) full-potential linearized augmented-plane-wave method and the plane-wave pseudopotential methods. The band gap of ZnSnAs2 was determined to be 0.816 eV using the modified Beck-Jonson (mBJ) exchange potential. When Fe dopants substitutionally replace Sn atoms, half-metallic ferromagnetism is observed in ZnSnAs2 where in the spin-down band at the Fermi level is entirely unoccupied. The magnetic exchange interaction between two Fe atoms substituting Zn and Sn sites in the supercell with different geometries has been studied. The total energy difference (ΔE) between the antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) configurations suggests that Fe atom occupation of Zn sites in ZnSnAs2 leads to a predominantly AFM state, while the Fe atom occupation of Sn sites prefers the FM state.
Published Version
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