Class Of Ferromagnetic Semiconductors Research Articles

Modulation of Metal and Insulator States in 2D Ferromagnetic VS2 by van der Waals Interaction Engineering.

2D transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are currently the key to the development of nanoelectronics. However, TMDCs are predominantly nonmagnetic, greatly hindering the advancement of their spintronic applications. Here, an experimental realization of intrinsic magnetic ordering in a pristine TMDC lattice is reported, bringing a new class of ferromagnetic semiconductors among TMDCs. Through van der Waals (vdW) interaction engineering of 2D vanadium disulfide (VS2 ), dual regulation of spin properties and bandgap brings about intrinsic ferromagnetism along with a small bandgap, unravelling the decisive role of vdW gaps in determining the electronic states in 2D VS2 . An overall control of the electronic states of VS2 is also demonstrated: bond-enlarging triggering a metal-to-semiconductor electronic transition and bond-compression inducing metallization in 2D VS2 . The pristine VS2 lattice thus provides a new platform for precise manipulation of both charge and spin degrees of freedom in 2D TMDCs availing spintronic applications.

Magnetic exchange interactions in Mn doped ZnSnAs2 chalcopyrite

Accurate ab initio full-potential augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) electronic calculations within generalized gradient approximation have been performed for Mn doped ZnSnAs2 chalcopyrites, focusing on their electronic and magnetic properties as a function of the geometry related to low Mn-impurity concentration and the spin magnetic alignment (i.e., ferromagnetic vs antiferromagnetic). As expected, Mn is found to be a source of holes and localized magnetic moments of about 4µB per Mn atom are calculated which are sufficiently large. The defect calculations are firstly performed by replacing a single cation (namely Zn and Sn) with a single Mn atom in the pure chalcopyrite ZnSnAs2 supercell, and their corresponding formation energies show that the substitution of a Sn atom (rather than Zn) by Mn is strongly favored. Thereafter, a comparison of total energy differences between ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) are given. Surprisingly, the exchange interaction between a Mn pairs is found to oscillate with the distance between them. Consequently, the AFM alignment is energetically favored in Mn-doped ZnSnAs2 compounds, except for low impurity concentration associated with lower distances between neighboring Mn impurities, in this case the stabilization of FM increases. Moreover, the ferromagnetic alignment in the Mn-doped ZnSnAs2 systems behaves half-metallic; the valence band for majority spin orientation is partially filled while there is a gap in the density of states for the minority spin orientation. This semiconducting gap of ~1eV opened up in the minority channel and is due to the large bonding–antibonding splitting from the p–d hybridization. Our findings suggest that the Mn-doped ZnSnAs2 chalcopyrites could be a different class of ferromagnetic semiconductors.

Structural, magnetic, and transport properties of a novel class of ferromagnetic semiconductors: SrM2±xRu4±xO11 (M=Fe,Co)

A major obstacle to the implementation of spin-polarized semiconductor devices is the current absence of suitable room-temperature, soft ferromagnetic semiconductors (FSs). Dilute magnetic semiconductors are under intense study for applications in spintronics. However, the weak solubility of randomly placed magnetic ions in the semiconductor host makes these materials unsuitable for devices. It is, therefore, crucial to develop a room-temperature FS based on a periodic array of magnetic ions. We have found that ternary ruthenium ferrites exhibit long-range ferromagnetic order well above room temperature, accompanied by narrow-gap semiconducting properties that include a large anomalous Hall conductance, low resistivity, and high carrier concentration. The physical properties can be tuned by simple chemical substitution of two elements, Fe and Co, or by varying the relative concentration of 3d and 4d elements within a homogeneity range that we have established. These promising properties—manifest within a single structural family—provide a fertile ground for fundamental studies and open up a host of potential device applications.

Negative intrinsic resistivity of an individual domain wall in epitaxial (Ga,Mn)As microdevices.

Magnetic domains, and the boundaries that separate them (domain walls, DWs), play a central role in the science of magnetism. Understanding and controlling domains is important for many technological applications in spintronics, and may lead to new devices. Although theoretical efforts have elucidated several mechanisms underlying the resistance of a single DW, various experiments report conflicting results, even for the overall sign of the DW resistance. The question of whether an individual DW gives rise to an increase or decrease of the resistance therefore remains open. Here we report an approach to DW studies in a class of ferromagnetic semiconductors (as opposed to metals) that offer promise for spintronics. These experiments involve microdevices patterned from monocrystalline (Ga,Mn)As epitaxial layers. The giant planar Hall effect that we previously observed in this material enables direct, real-time observation of the propagation of an individual magnetic DW along multiprobe devices. We apply steady and pulsed magnetic fields, to trap and carefully position an individual DW within each separate device studied. This protocol reproducibly enables high-resolution magnetoresistance measurements across an individual wall. We consistently observe negative intrinsic DW resistance that scales with channel width. This appears to originate from sizeable quantum corrections to the magnetoresistance.