Results of magnetisation measurements on p-type zincblende-(Ga,Mn)N are reported. In addition to a small high temperature ferromagnetic signal, we detect ferromagnetic correlation among the remaining Mn ions, which we assign to the onset of hole-mediated ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)N.
The magnetic properties of dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMS) are calculated from first-principles by mapping the ab initio results on a classical Heisenberg model. It is found that the range of the exchange interaction in (Ga, Mn)N is very short ranged due to the exponential decay of the impurity wave function in the gap. Curie temperatures (Tc) of DMS are calculated by using the Monte Carlo method. It is found that the Tc values of (Ga, Mn)N are very low since, due to the short ranged interaction, percolation of the ferromagnetic coupling is difficult to achieve for small concentrations.
We study the Curie temperature and hole density of (Ga,Mn)As while systematically varying the As-antisite density. Hole compensation by As-antisites limits the Curie temperature and can completely quench long-range ferromagnetic order in the low doping regime of 1-2% Mn. Samples are grown by molecular beam epitaxy without substrate rotation in order to smoothly vary the As to Ga flux ratio across a single wafer. This technique allows for a systematic study of the effect of As stoichiometry on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)As. For concentrations less than 1.5% Mn, a strong deviation from Tc ~ p^0.33 is observed. Our results emphasize that proper control of As-antisite compensation is critical for controlling the Curie temperatures in (Ga,Mn)As at the low doping limit.
There is currently much interest in materials and structures that provide coupled ferroelectric and ferromagnetic responses, with a long-term goal of developing new memories and spintronic logic elements. Within the field there is a focus on composites coupled by magnetostrictive and piezoelectric strain transmitted across ferromagnetic-ferroelectric interfaces, but substrate clamping limits the response in the supported multilayer configuration favoured for devices. This constraint is avoided in a ferroelectric-ferromagnetic bilayer in which the magnetic response is modulated by the electric field of the poled ferroelectric. Here, we report the realization of such a device using a diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) channel and a polymer ferroelectric gate. Polarization reversal of the gate by a single voltage pulse results in a persistent modulation of the Curie temperature as large as 5%. The device demonstrates direct and quantitatively understood electric-fieldmediated coupling in a multiferroic bilayer and may provide new routes to nanostructured DMS materials and devices via ferroelectric domain nanopatterning. The successful implementation of a polymer-ferroelectric gate fieldeffect transistor (FeFET) with a DMS channel adds a new functionality to semiconductor spintronics and may be of importance for future low-voltage spintronics devices and memory structures.
We report on a promising approach to the artificial modification of ferromagnetic properties in (Ga,Mn)As using a Ga$^+$ focused ion beam (FIB) technique. The ferromagnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)As such as magnetic anisotropy and Curie temperature can be controlled using Ga$^+$ ion irradiation, originating from a change in hole concentration and the corresponding systematic variation in exchange interaction between Mn spins. This change in hole concentration is also verified using micro-Raman spectroscopy. We envisage that this approach offers a means of modifying the ferromagnetic properties of magnetic semiconductors on the micro- or nano-meter scale.
The effect of microscopic Mn cluster distribution on the Curie temperature (Tc) is studied using density-functional calculations. We find that the calculated Tc depends crucially on the microscopic cluster distribution, which can explain the abnormally large variations in experimental Tc values from a few K to well above room temperature. The partially dimerized Mn_2-Mn_1 distribution is found to give the highest Tc > 500 K, and in general, the presence of the Mn_2 dimer has a tendency to enhance Tc. The lowest Tc values close to zero are obtained for the Mn_4-Mn_1 and Mn_4-Mn_3 distributions.