Theory of ferromagnetism in planar heterostructures of (Mn,III)-V semiconductors

A density-functional theory of ferromagnetism in heterostructures of compound semiconductors doped with magnetic impurities is presented. The variable functions in the density-functional theory are the charge and spin densities of the itinerant carriers and the charge and localized spins of the impurities. The theory is applied to study the Curie temperature of planar heterostructures of III-V semiconductors doped with manganese atoms. The mean-field, virtual-crystal and effective-mass approximations are adopted to calculate the electronic structure, including the spin-orbit interaction, and the magnetic susceptibilities, leading to the Curie temperature. By means of these results, we attempt to understand the observed dependence of the Curie temperature of planar δ-doped ferromagnetic structures on variation of their properties. We predict a large increase of the Curie temperature by additional confinement of the holes in a δ-doped layer of Mn by a quantum well.

Financial support by Spanish Ministry of Education and by DARPA/ONR N0014-99-1-109 and NSF DMR 0099572.