Observation of spin-glass behavior in homogeneous (Ga,Mn)N layers grown by reactive molecular-beam epitaxy

Abstract

We present a detailed study of the magnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)N layers grown directly on 4H-SiC substrates by reactive molecular-beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy demonstrates that homogeneous (Ga,Mn)N alloys of high crystal quality can be synthesized by this growth method up to a Mn-content of 10--12 %. Using a variety of magnetization experiments (temperature-dependent dc magnetization, isothermal remanent magnetization, frequency and field dependent ac susceptibility), we demonstrate that insulating (Ga,Mn)N alloys represent a Heisenberg spin-glass with a spin-freezing temperature around 4.5 K. We discuss the origins of this spin-glass characteristics in terms of the deep-acceptor nature of Mn in GaN and the resulting insulating character of this compound.