Dilute Ferromagnetic Semiconductor Research Articles

Influence of Bi doping on the electronic structure of (Ga,Mn)As epitaxial layers

The influence of the addition of Bi to the dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As on its electronic structure as well as on its magnetic and structural properties has been studied. Epitaxial (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) layers of high structural perfection have been grown using low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy. Post-growth annealing of the samples improves their structural and magnetic properties and increases the hole concentration in the layers. Hard X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals a strongly dispersing band in the Mn-doped layers, which crosses the Fermi energy and is caused by the high concentration of Mn-induced itinerant holes located in the valence band. An increased density of states near the Fermi level is attributed to additional localized Mn states. In addition to a decrease in the chemical potential with increasing Mn doping, we find significant changes in the valence band caused by the incorporation of a small atomic fraction of Bi atoms. The spin–orbit split-off band is shifted to higher binding energies, which is inconsistent with the impurity band model of the band structure in (Ga,Mn)As. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and modulation photoreflectance spectroscopy results confirm the valence band modifications in the investigated layers.

Impact of Bismuth Incorporation into (Ga,Mn)As Dilute Ferromagnetic Semiconductor on Its Magnetic Properties and Magnetoresistance.

The impact of bismuth incorporation into the epitaxial layer of a (Ga,Mn)As dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor on its magnetic and electromagnetic properties is studied in very thin layers of quaternary (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) compound grown on a GaAs substrate under a compressive misfit strain. An addition of a small atomic fraction of 1% Bi atoms, substituting As atoms in the layer, predominantly enhances the spin-orbit coupling strength in its valence band. The presence of bismuth results in a small decrease in the ferromagnetic Curie temperature and a distinct increase in the coercive fields. On the other hand, the Bi incorporation into the layer strongly enhances the magnitude of negative magnetoresistance without affecting the hole concentration in the layer. The negative magnetoresistance is interpreted in terms of the suppression of weak localization in a magnetic field. Application of the weak-localization theory for two-dimensional ferromagnets by Dugaev et al. to the experimental magnetoresistance results indicates that the decrease in spin-orbit scattering length accounts for the enhanced magnetoresistance in (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As).

Current-induced magnetization reversal in (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) epitaxial layer with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Pulsed current-induced magnetization reversal is investigated in the layer of (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (DFS) epitaxially grown under tensile misfit strain causing perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the layer. The magnetization reversal, recorded through measurements of the anomalous Hall effect, appearing under assistance of a static magnetic field parallel to the current, is interpreted in terms of the spin–orbit torque mechanism. Our results demonstrate that an addition of a small fraction of heavy Bi atoms, substituting As atoms in the prototype DFS (Ga,Mn)As and increasing the strength of spin–orbit coupling in the DFS valence band, significantly enhances the efficiency of current-induced magnetization reversal, thus reducing considerably the threshold current density necessary for the reversal. Our findings are of technological importance for applications to spin–orbit torque-driven nonvolatile memory and logic elements.

Tunable Planar Hall Effect in (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) Epitaxial Layers.

We have thoroughly investigated the planar Hall effect (PHE) in the epitaxial layers of the quaternary compound (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As). The addition of a small amount of heavy Bi atoms to the prototype dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As enhances significantly the spin–orbit coupling strength in its valence band, which essentially modifies certain magnetoelectric properties of the material. Our investigations demonstrate that an addition of just 1% Bi atomic fraction, substituting As atoms in the (Ga,Mn)As crystal lattice, causes an increase in the PHE magnitude by a factor of 2.5. Moreover, Bi incorporation into the layers strongly enhances their coercive fields and uniaxial magneto-crystalline anisotropy between the in-plane 〈110〉 crystallographic directions in the layers grown under a compressive misfit strain. The displayed two-state behaviour of the PHE resistivity at zero magnetic field, which may be tuned by the control of applied field orientation, could be useful for application in spintronic devices, such as nonvolatile memory elements.

Magnetic properties of wurtzite (Ga,Mn)As

Here we report on detailed studies of the magnetic properties of the wurtzite (Ga,Mn)As cylindrical shells. Ga0.94Mn0.06As shells have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy at low temperature as a part of multishell cylinders overgrown on wurtzite (Ga,In)As nanowires cores, synthesized on GaAs (111)B substrates. Our studies clearly indicate the presence of a low temperature ferromagnetic coupling, which despite a reasonably high Mn contents of 6% is limited only to below 30 K. A set of dedicated measurements shows that despite a high structural quality of the material the magnetic order has a granular form, which gives rise to the dynamical slow-down characteristic to blocked superparamagnets. The lack of the long range order has been assigned to a very low hole density, caused primarily by numerous compensation donors, arsenic antisites, formed in the material due to a specific geometry of the growth of the shells on the nanowire template. The associated electrostatic disorder has formed a patchwork of spontaneously magnetized (macrospin) and nonmagnetic (paramagnetic) volumes in the material. Using high field results it has been evaluated that the total volume taken by the macrospins constitute about 2/3 of the volume of the (Ga,Mn)As whereas in the remaining 1/3 only paramagnetic Mn ions reside. By establishing the number of the uncoupled ions the two contributions were separated. The Arrott plot method applied to the superparamagnetic part yielded the first experimental assessment of the magnitude of the spin–spin coupling temperature within the macrospins in (Ga,Mn)As, TC=28 K. In a broader view our results constitute an important contribution to the still ongoing dispute on the true and the dominant form(s) of the magnetism in this model dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor.

Magnetism and magnetoresistance in the critical region of a dilute ferromagnet

We present detailed experimental measurements and simulations of the field-dependent magnetization and magnetoresistance in the vicinity of the Curie temperature in the highly disordered dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As. The observed dependence of the magnetization on external magnetic field and temperature is consistent with three-dimensional Heisenberg equation of state calculations including a narrow distribution of critical temperatures. The magnetoresistance shows a peak at the Curie temperature due to the suppression of magnetic scattering in an applied magnetic field, which is well-described by considering changes in the square of the magnetization induced by the magnetic field.

Band structure evolution and the origin of magnetism in (Ga,Mn)As: From paramagnetic through superparamagnetic to ferromagnetic phase

The authors investigate the development of magnetic phases in (Ga,Mn)As -- the canonical dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor -- in a thoroughly prepared set of high-quality layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The Mn content in the (Ga,Mn)As solid solution extends from the extremely diluted (0.0007% Mn) to the medium Mn content of 1.6%. The authors trace simultaneously the evolution of magnetic and electronic properties of (Ga,Mn)As by comprehensive magnetic (SQUID magnetometry) optical (Raman scattering and photoreflectance) and ARPES measurements. The onset of a low-temperature ferromagnetic phase in (Ga,Mn)As is revealed for 1.6% Mn, the composition just slightly above the one displaying purely superparamagnetic behavior (0.9% Mn). No signature of a Mn-related impurity band has been identified in superparamagnetic and ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As.

Synthesis and magnetic properties of ceramic MgO porous film

Ordered porous MgO films with pore diameters in the 15–28nm range have been prepared on porous anodic alumina substrates at 573K in a fixed O2 pressure of 1.4×10−4mbar using DC-reactive magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction and scanning probe microscope observations have revealed that homogeneous MgO ceramics with face-centered cubic structure are formed with a highly ordered nanopore array arranged in a close packed hexagonal pattern. The results of magnetic measurements have shown that the porous MgO ceramics possess remarkable room temperature ferromagnetism and the maximum saturation magnetization along the out-of-plane direction was as high as 78emu/cm3. Experimental and theoretical results suggest that oxygen vacancies and the unique porous structure of the films are responsible for the high magnetization. These results provide new insights into magnetic ordering in undoped dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor oxides and may be useful in the development of MgO-based spintronics devices and novel multifunctional materials.

Revealing the local atomic and magnetic structure of a new dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor by pair distribution function analysis

Revealing the local atomic and magnetic structure of a new dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor by pair distribution function analysis

Ferromagnetism in a diamond-like carbon film after nickel implantation

Mass selective ion beam deposited diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were implanted with Ni+ ions at 30 keV with a fluence of 3.6 × 1016 atoms cm−2. The peak concentration of nickel in the implanted film was calculated to be 12.5% at an implantation depth of ∼30 nm into the DLC film. Raman measurements showed that the integrated intensity of the D peak at ∼1370 cm−1 divided by the G peak at ∼1560 cm−1 increases after ion implantation, which indicates that the implanted films are more graphitic. The implanted film shows ferromagnetic order at room temperature. However the saturation moment of the implanted film increased significantly when the measurement temperature was lowered. This may suggest that implantation leads to a dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor although more research is required.

Temperature-dependent shape anisotropy in patterned ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As films with low Mn concentration

We discuss magnetic properties of lithographically patterned nanoscale stripes of dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As aligned with [110] crystallographic direction, i.e., perpendicular to the easy axis of uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy of this material. We find that at temperatures where uniaxial anisotropy becomes dominant, shape-induced effects strongly compete with this intrinsic property, tending to align the total magnetization along the stripe direction. The present study revealed, however, that low-temperature annealing of the stripes markedly reduces such shape-induced effects. This effect of annealing is not presently understood, and will require further detailed study.

Local atomic and magnetic structure of dilute magnetic semiconductor(Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2As2

We have studied the atomic and magnetic structure of the dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor system (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)$_2$As$_2$ through atomic and magnetic pair distribution function analysis of temperature-dependent x-ray and neutron total scattering data. We detected a change in curvature of the temperature-dependent unit cell volume of the average tetragonal crystallographic structure at a temperature coinciding with the onset of ferromagnetic order. We also observed the existence of a well-defined local orthorhombic structure on a short length scale of $\lesssim 5$ \AA, resulting in a rather asymmetrical local environment of the Mn and As ions. Finally, the magnetic PDF revealed ferromagnetic alignment of Mn spins along the crystallographic $c$-axis, with robust nearest-neighbor ferromagnetic correlations that exist even above the ferromagnetic ordering temperature. We discuss these results in the context of other experiments and theoretical studies on this system.

Defect-Rich Dopant-Free ZrO2 Nanostructures with Superior Dilute Ferromagnetic Semiconductor Properties.

Control of the spin degree of freedom of an electron has brought about a new era in spin-based applications, particularly spin-based electronics, with the potential to outperform the traditional charge-based semiconductor technology for data storage and information processing. However, the realization of functional spin-based devices for information processing remains elusive due to several fundamental challenges such as the low Curie temperature of group III-V and II-VI semiconductors (<200 K), and the low spin-injection efficiencies of existing III-V, II-VI, and transparent conductive oxide semiconductors in a multilayer device structure, which are caused by precipitation and migration of dopants from the host layer to the adjacent layers. Here, we use catalyst-assisted pulsed laser deposition to grow, for the first time, oxygen vacancy defect-rich, dopant-free ZrO2 nanostructures with high TC (700 K) and high magnetization (5.9 emu/g). The observed magnetization is significantly greater than both doped and defect-rich transparent conductive oxide nanomaterials reported to date. We also provide the first experimental evidence that it is the amounts and types of oxygen vacancy defects in, and not the phase of ZrO2 that control the ferromagnetic order in undoped ZrO2 nanostructures. To explain the origin of ferromagnetism in these ZrO2 nanostructures, we hypothesize a new defect-induced bound polaron model, which is generally applicable to other defect-rich, dopant-free transparent conductive oxide nanostructures. These results provide new insights into magnetic ordering in undoped dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor oxides and contribute to the design of exotic magnetic and novel multifunctional materials.

Three-dimensional Heisenberg critical behavior in the highly disordered dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As

We present detailed studies of critical behavior in the strongly site-disordered dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As. (Ga,Mn)As has a low saturation magnetization and relatively strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy. This combination of properties inhibits domain formation, thus removing a principal experimental difficulty in determining the critical coefficients β and γ. We find that there are still a large number of problems to overcome in terms of measurement procedures and methods of analysis. In particular, the combined effects of disorder and inhomogeneity limit the accessible critical region. However, we find that accurate and reproducible values of the critical exponents β and γ can be obtained from Kouvel-Fisher plots of remanent magnetization and magnetic susceptibility for our (Ga,Mn)As samples. The values of β and γ obtained are consistent with those of the three-dimensional Heisenberg class, despite the very strong disorder present in this system, and they are inconsistent with mean field behavior. Log-log plots of M(H) data for our samples are consistent with the three-dimensional Heisenberg value of the critical exponent δ, but accurate values of δ could not be obtained for our samples from these plots. We also find that accurate values of the critical exponent α could not be obtained by fitting to the measured temperature derivative of resistivity for our samples.We find that modified Arrott plots and scaling plots are not a practical way to determine the universality class or critical exponents, though they are found to be in better agreement with three-dimensional Heisenberg values than mean field values. Below the critical temperature range, we find that the magnetization shows power-law behavior down to a reduced temperature of t ∼ 0.5, with a critical exponent β ∼ 0.4, a value appreciably lower than the mean field value of β = 0.5. At lower temperatures, Bloch 3/2 law behavior is observed due to magnons.

Ferromagnetic order in diamond-like carbon films by Co implantation

We report the observation of ferromagnetic order in diamond-like carbon (DLC) films made by mass selective ion beam deposition and after low energy implantation with Co ions. Different Co fluences were studied with a peak concentration of up to 25% at an average Co implantation depth of 30 nm. The saturation moment per Co atom (0.2–0.3 μB) was found to be strongly dependent on temperature and it was significantly lower than that reported in bulk cobalt or cobalt nanoparticles (1.67 μB per Co atom). The observed magnetic moment cannot be attributed to ferromagnetic nanoparticles as no evidence for superparamagnetism was detected. The magnetic order observed may be due to Co bonding in DLC possibly leading to dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor behaviour with an inhomogeneous distribution of cobalt atoms. Raman spectroscopy measurements showed that Co implantation resulted in an increase in the sp2 clustering with increasing Co fluence. Thus, our results show that Co implantation into DLC films increases the graphitic properties of the film and leads to magnetic order at room temperature.

Rapid diffusion of electrons in GaMnAs

We report ultrafast transient-grating measurements, above and below the Curie temperature, of the dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As containing 6% Mn. At 80 K (15 K), we observe that photoexcited electrons in the conduction band have a lifetime of 8 ps (5 ps) and diffuse at about 70 cm2/s (60 cm2/s). Such rapid diffusion requires either an electronic mobility exceeding 7,700 cm2/Vs or a conduction-band effective mass less than half the GaAs value. Our data suggest that neither the scattering rate nor the effective mass of the (Ga,Mn)As conduction band differs significantly from that of GaAs.

Thickness dependent magnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)As ultrathin films

We report on a monotonic reduction of Curie temperature in dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As upon a well controlled chemical-etching/oxidizing thinning from 15 nm down to complete removal of the ferromagnetic response. The effect already starts at the very beginning of the thinning process and is accompanied by the spin reorientation transition of the in-plane uniaxial anisotropy. We postulate that a negative gradient along the growth direction of self-compensating defects (Mn interstitial) and the presence of surface donor traps gives quantitative account on these effects within the p–d mean field Zener model with adequate modifications to take a nonuniform distribution of holes and Mn cations into account.

Grazing incidence polarized neutron scattering in reflection geometry from nanolayered spintronic systems

This review summarizes recent experimental investigations using neutron scattering on layered nanomagnetic systems (accentuating my contribution), which have applications in spintronics also. Polarized neutron investigations of such artificially structured materials are basically done to understand the interplay between structure and magnetism confined within the nanometer scale that can be additionally depth-resolved. Details of the identification of buried domains and their nature of lateral and vertical correlations within the systems are important. A particularly interesting aspect that has emerged over the years is the capability to measure polarized neutron scattering in directions parallel and perpendicular to the applied field direction (which is also the quantization axis for neutron polarizations). This was added with the capability of measuring in specular as well as in off-specular geometry. Distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) theory for neutrons has proved to be a remarkable development in the quantitative analysis of the scattering data measured simultaneously for specular and off-specular modes within the same framework. In particular, the depth and lateral distribution of the ferromagnetic spins relative to the interface within interlayer-coupled or exchange-coupled system has been extensive. For example, twisted magnetization state at interlayer coupled interfaces or intricacies of symmetric and asymmetric magnetization reversals along with suppression of training effect in exchange coupled system was microscopically identified using neutron scattering only. The investigation on the distribution of magnetic species within dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor superlattices, with low angle neutron scattering, has played a crucial role both from practical and fundamental research points of view.

The Co-Doping Effect of Si and Mn on the Dilute Ferromagnetic Semiconductor Thin Films

The co-doping effect of Si and Mn have been studied in the low temperature grown ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As thin films. It is found that Si doping decreases the Curie temperatures of the ferromagnetic sample due to carrier compensation and defects formation. The transport studies show that the Si incorporation increases the resistivity of the (Ga,Mn)As thin films, and increase the planar Hall resistance while increases the resistance transitions in the magnetic samples.

Nanoscale Potential Fluctuations in (GaMn)As/GaAs Heterostructures: From Individual Ions to Charge Clusters and Electrostatic Quantum Dots

During growth of the dilute p-type ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs, interstitial manganese, Mni(2+), is formed when x exceeds 2%. The double donor Mni(2+) compensates the free holes that mediate ferromagnetism. Annealing causes out-diffusion of these interstitials, thereby increasing the Curie temperature. Here, we use cross sectional scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to visualize the potential landscape which arises due to the clustering of Mni(2+) in annealed p-i-n (GaMn)As-GaAs double barrier heterostructures. We map the local minima in the potential landscape, link them to clusters of individual Mni(2+) ions, and show that the ions are doubly charged.