Longitudinal spin transport in diluted magnetic semiconductor superlattices: The effect of the giant Zeeman splitting

Longitudinal spin transport in diluted magnetic semiconductor superlattices is investigated theoretically. The longitudinal magnetoconductivity (MC) in such systems exhibits an oscillating behavior as function of an external magnetic field. In the weak magnetic-field region the giant Zeeman splitting plays a dominant role that leads to a large negative magnetoconductivity. In the strong magnetic-field region the MC exhibits deep dips with increasing magnetic field. The oscillating behavior is attributed to the interplay between the discrete Landau levels and the Fermi surface. The decrease of the MC at low magnetic field is caused by the s-d exchange interaction between the electron in the conduction band and the magnetic ions. The spin polarization increases rapidly with increasing magnetic field and the longitudinal current becomes spin polarized in strong magnetic field. The effect of spin-disorder scattering on MC is estimated numerically for low magnetic fields and found to be neglectible for our system.

Oscillating magnetoresistance in diluted magnetic semiconductor barrier structures

Ballistic spin polarized transport through diluted magnetic semiconductor single and double barrier structures is investigated theoretically using a two-component model. The tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of the system exhibits oscillating behavior when the magnetic field is varied. An interesting beat pattern in the TMR and spin polarization is found for different nonmagnetic semiconductor/diluted magnetic semiconductor double barrier structures which arises from an interplay between the spin-up and spin-down electron channels which are split by the s-d exchange interaction.

Quantum-confined magneto-Stark effect in diluted magnetic semiconductor coupled quantum wells

The magneto-Stark effect in a diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) coupled quantum well (CQW) induced by an in-plane magnetic field is investigate theoretically. Unlike the usual electro-Stark effects, in a DMS CQW the Lorenz force leads to a spatially separated exciton. The in-plane magnetic field can shift the ground state of the magnetoexciton from a zero in-plane center of mass (CM)/momentum to a finite CM momentum, and render the ground state of magnetoexciton stable against radiative recombination due to momentum conservation. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Growth Parameter Dependence of Structural Characterizations of Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor (Ga, Cr)As

We report the influence of growth parameters and post-growth annealing on the structural characterizations and magnetic properties of (Ga, Cr)As films. The crystalline quality and magnetic properties are sensitive to the growth conditions. The single-phase (Ga, Cr)As film with the Curie temperature of 10 K is synthesized at growth temperature T-s = 250 degrees C and with nominal Cr content x = 0.016. However, for the films with x > 0.02, the aggregation of Cr atoms is strongly enhanced as both T. and x increase, which not only brings strong compressive strain in the epilayer, but also roughens the surface. The origin of room-temperature ferromagnetism in (Ga, Cr)As films with nanoclusters is also discussed.

Raman scattering study on diluted magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs prepared by Mn-ion implantation

Raman scattering measurements have been performed in diluted magnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs prepared by Mn-ion implantation, deposition, and post-annealing technique. It is found that the Raman spectrum measured from the implanted surface of the sample shows some new weak modes in addition to the GaAs-like modes which are observed from the unimplanted surface. The new vibrational modes observed are assigned to MnAs-like modes. The coupled LO-phonon plasmon mode, and Mn and As related vibrational modes caused by Mn-ion implantation, deposition, and post-annealing are also observed. Furthermore, the GaAs-like modes are found to be shifted by approximately 4 cm(-1) in the lower frequency side, compared with those observed from the unimplanted surface.

The magnetic and structure properties of room-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)N

Diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)N were prepared by the implantation of Mn ions into GaN/Al2O3 substrate. Clear X-ray diffraction peak from (Ga,Mn)N is observed. It indicates that the solid solution (Ga,Mn)N phase was formed with the same lattice structure as GaN and different lattice constant. Magnetic hysteresis-loops of the (Ga,Mn)N were obtained at room temperature (293 K) with the coercivity of about 2496.97 A m(-1). (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen defects and ferromagnetism in Cr-doped dilute magnetic semiconductor AlN from first principles

High Curie temperature of 900 K has been reported in Cr-doped AlN diluted magnetic semiconductors prepared by various methods, which is exciting for spintronic applications. It is believed that N defects play important roles in achieving the high-temperature ferromagnetism in good samples. Motivated by these experimental advances, we use a full-potential density-functional-theory method and supercell approach to investigate N defects and their effects on ferromagnetism of (Al,Cr)N with N vacancies (V-N). We investigate the structural and electronic properties of V-N, single Cr atom, Cr-Cr atom pairs, Cr-V-N pairs, and so on. In each case, the most stable structure is obtained by comparing different atomic configurations optimized in terms of the total energy and the force on every atom, and then it is used to calculate the defect formation energy and study the electronic structures. Our total-energy calculations show that the nearest substitutional Cr-Cr pair with the two spins in parallel is the most favorable and the nearest Cr-V-N pair makes a stable complex. Our formation energies indicate that V-N regions can be formed spontaneously under N-poor condition because the minimal V-N formation energy equals -0.23 eV or Cr-doped regions with high enough concentrations can be formed under N-rich condition because the Cr formation energy equals 0.04 eV, and hence real Cr-doped AlN samples are formed by forming some Cr-doped regions and separated V-N regions and through subsequent atomic relaxation during annealing. Both of the single Cr atom and the N vacancy create filled electronic states in the semiconductor gap of AlN. N vacancies enhance the ferromagnetism by adding mu(B) to the Cr moment each but reduce the ferromagnetic exchange constants between the spins in the nearest Cr-Cr pairs. These calculated results are in agreement with experimental observations and facts of real Cr-doped AlN samples and their synthesis. Our first-principles results are useful to elucidate the mechanism for the ferromagnetism and to explore high-performance Cr-doped AlN diluted magnetic semiconductors.

The magnetic and structure properties of room-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)N

Diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)N were prepared by the implantation of Mn ions into GaN/Al2O3 substrate. Clear X-ray diffraction peak from (Ga,Mn)N is observed. It indicates that the solid solution (Ga,Mn)N phase was formed with the same lattice structure as GaN and different lattice constant. Magnetic hysteresis-loops of the (Ga,Mn)N were obtained at room temperature (293 K) with the coercivity of about 2496.97 A m(-1). (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic Properties of Mn-Implanted n-Type Ge

Mn+ ions were implanted into n-type Ge(111) single crystal at room temperature at an energy of 100 keV with a dose of 3 x 1016 cm-2. Subsequent annealing was performed on the samples at 400 °C and 600 °C in a flowing nitrogen atmosphere. The magnetic properties of the samples have been investigated by alternating gradient magnetometer at room temperature. The compositional properties of the annealed samples were studied by Auger electron spectroscopy and the structural properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction measurements. Magnetization measurements reveal room-temperature ferromagnetism for the annealed samples. The magnetic analysis supported by compositional and structural properties indicates that forming the diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) MnxGe1-x after annealing may account for the ferromagnetic behavior in the annealed samples.

Effects of external magnetic field on the effective g factor of (Ga,Mn)As

With the help of time resolved magneto-optic Kerr rotation measurements, the optically induced spin precession in heavily doped diluted magnetic semiconductor Ga0.937Mn0.063 As was observed. It was found that the effective g factor increases with increasing magnetic field, which is attributed to the magnetic-field-induced increase of the density of the non-localized holes. Those free holes will couple with the localized magnetic ions by p-d interactions, leading to the formation of spontaneous magnetization in Ga0.937Mn0.063As, which in turn to the enhancement of the effective g factor.

Systematic investigation on the influence of the As-4 flux on the magnetic property of (In,Cr)As quantum dots

We study the structure, optical and magnetic characteristics of self-assembled (In,Cr) As diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots as a function of the As-4 flux. Increasing the surface energy by increasing the As4 pressure leads to a smaller number of larger dots for a higher As-4 flux. The remanent magnetization measured at 5K also increases with increasing As-4 flux, which is attributed to the enhancement of the effective Cr content due to the As-4-rich condition. We explore the possibility of tailoring magnetism by controlling the As-4/In flux ratio without changing the Cr concentration. Furthermore, extremely low-density QDs have also been successfully grown. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2008

The impact of implantation dose on the characteristics of diluted-magnetic nonpolar GaN:Cu films

Diluted-magnetic nonpolar GaN:Cu films have been fabricated by implanting Cu ions into p-type nonpolar a-plane (1120) GaN films with a subsequent thermal annealing process. The impact of the implantation dose on the structural. morphological and magnetic characteristics of the samples have been investigated by means of high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD). atomic force microscopy (AFM), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The XRD and AFM analyses show that the structural and morphological characteristics of samples deteriorated with the increase of implantation dose. According to the SQUID analysis. obvious room-temperature ferromagnetic properties of samples were detected. Moreover, the saturation magnetization per Cu atom decreased as the implantation dose increased. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electronic structure and optical property of semiconductor nanocrystallites

Semiconductor nanostructures show many special physical properties associated with quantum confinement effects, and have many applications in the opto-electronic and microelectronic fields. However, it is difficult to calculate their electronic states by the ordinary plane wave or linear combination of atomic orbital methods. In this paper, we review some of our works in this field, including semiconductor clusters, self-assembled quantum dots, and diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots. In semiconductor clusters we introduce energy bands and effective-mass Hamiltonian of wurtzite structure semiconductors, electronic structures and optical properties of spherical clusters, ellipsoidal clusters, and nanowires. In self-assembled quantum dots we introduce electronic structures and transport properties of quantum rings and quantum dots, and resonant tunneling of 3-dimensional quantum dots. In diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots we introduce magnetic-optical properties, and magnetic field tuning of the effective g factor in a diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dot. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mean-field study of Fe2+- and Co2+-doped diluted magnetic semiconductors

Based on a modified mean-field model, we calculate the Curie temperatures of Fe2+- and Co2+-doped diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) and their dependence on the hole concentration. We find that the Curie temperatures increase with an increase in hole concentration and the relationship T(C)proportional to p(1/3) also approximately holds for Fe2+- and Co2+-doped systems with moderate hole concentration. For either low or high hole concentrations, however, the p(1/3) law is violated due to the anomalous magnetization of the Fe2+ and Co2+ ions, and the nonparabolic nature of the hole bands. Further, the values of T-C for Fe2+- and Co2+-doped DMSs are significantly higher than those for Mn2+-doped DMSs, due to the larger exchange interaction strength.

Magnetic properties of Mn-implanted n-type Ge

Mn+ ions were implanted into n-type Ge(1 1 1) single crystal at room temperature at an energy of 100 keV with a dose of 3 x 10(16) cm(-2). Subsequent annealing was performed on the samples at 400 degreesC and 600 degreesC in a flowing nitrogen atmosphere. The magnetic properties of the samples have been investigated by alternating gradient magnetometer at room temperature. The compositional properties of the annealed samples were studied by Auger electron spectroscopy and the structural properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction measurements. Magnetization measurements reveal room-temperature ferromagnetism for the annealed samples. The magnetic analysis supported by compositional and structural properties indicates that forming the diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) MnxGe1-x after annealing may account for the ferromagnetic behavior in the annealed samples. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.