119 research outputs found
Spin-polarized Tunneling in Hybrid Metal-Semiconductor Magnetic Tunnel Junctions
We demonstrate efficient spin-polarized tunneling between a ferromagnetic
metal and a ferromagnetic semiconductor with highly mismatched conductivities.
This is indicated by a large tunneling magnetoresistance (up to 30%) at low
temperatures in epitaxial magnetic tunnel junctions composed of a ferromagnetic
metal (MnAs) and a ferromagnetic semiconductor (GaMnAs) separated by a
nonmagnetic semiconductor (AlAs). Analysis of the current-voltage
characteristics yields detailed information about the asymmetric tunnel
barrier. The low temperature conductance-voltage characteristics show a zero
bias anomaly and a V^1/2 dependence of the conductance, indicating a
correlation gap in the density of states of GaMnAs. These experiments suggest
that MnAs/AlAs heterostructures offer well characterized tunnel junctions for
high efficiency spin injection into GaAs.Comment: 14 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Coercive Field and Magnetization Deficit in Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As Epilayers
We have studied the field dependence of the magnetization in epilayers of the
diluted magnetic semiconductor Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As for 0.0135 < x < 0.083.
Measurements of the low temperature magnetization in fields up to 3 T show a
significant deficit in the total moment below that expected for full saturation
of all the Mn spins. These results suggest that the spin state of the
non-ferromagnetic Mn spins is energetically well separated from the
ferromagnetism of the bulk of the spins. We have also studied the coercive
field (Hc) as a function of temperature and Mn concentration, finding that Hc
decreases with increasing Mn concentration as predicted theoretically.Comment: 15 total pages -- 5 text, 1 table, 4 figues. Accepted for publication
in MMM 2002 conference proceedings (APL
Effects of annealing time on defect-controlled ferromagnetism in Ga1-xMnxAs
We have studied the evolution of the magnetic, electronic, and structural
properties of annealed epilayers of Ga1-xMnxAs grown by low temperature
molecular beam epitaxy. Annealing at the optimal temperature of 250 C for less
than 2 hours significantly enhances the conductivity and ferromagnetism, but
continuing the annealing for longer times suppresses both. These data indicate
that such annealing induces the defects in Ga1-xMnxAs to evolve through at
least two different processes, and they point to a complex interplay between
the different defects and ferromagnetism in this material.Comment: 14 pages, pdf only, submitted to Applied Physics Letter
Non-Drude Optical Conductivity of (III,Mn)V Ferromagnetic Semiconductors
We present a numerical model study of the zero-temperature infrared optical
properties of (III,Mn)V diluted magnetic semiconductors. Our calculations
demonstrate the importance of treating disorder and interaction effects
simultaneously in modelling these materials. We find that the conductivity has
no clear Drude peak, that it has a broadened inter-band peak near 220 meV, and
that oscillator weight is shifted to higher frequencies by stronger disorder.
These results are in good qualitative agreement with recent thin film
absorption measurements. We use our numerical findings to discuss the use of
f-sum rules evaluated by integrating optical absorption data for accurate
carrier-density estimates.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Above-Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in GaSb/Mn Digital Alloys
Digital alloys of GaSb/Mn have been fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy.
Transmission electron micrographs showed good crystal quality with individual
Mn-containing layers well resolved; no evidence of 3D MnSb precipitates was
seen in as-grown samples. All samples studied exhibited ferromagnetism with
temperature dependent hysteresis loops in the magnetization accompanied by
metallic p-type conductivity with a strong anomalous Hall effect (AHE) up to
400 K (limited by the experimental setup). The anomalous Hall effect shows
hysteresis loops at low temperatures and above room temperature very similar to
those seen in the magnetization. The strong AHE with hysteresis indicates that
the holes interact with the Mn spins above room temperature. All samples are
metallic, which is important for spintronics applications.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]
Saturated Ferromagnetism and Magnetization Deficit in Optimally Annealed (Ga,Mn)As Epilayers
We examine the Mn concentration dependence of the electronic and magnetic
properties of optimally annealed Ga1-xMnxAs epilayers for 1.35% < x < 8.3%. The
Curie temperature (Tc), conductivity, and exchange energy increase with Mn
concentration up to x ~ 0.05, but are almost constant for larger x, with Tc ~
110 K. The ferromagnetic moment per Mn ion decreases monotonically with
increasing x, implying that an increasing fraction of the Mn spins do not
participate in the ferromagnetism. By contrast, the derived domain wall
thickness, an important parameter for device design, remains surprisingly
constant.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted for Rapid Communication in Phys Rev
Photoemission studies of GaMnAs: Mn-concentration dependent properties
Using angle-resolved photoemission, we have investigated the development of
the electronic structure and the Fermi level pinnning in GaMnAs
with Mn concentrations in the range 1--6%. We find that the Mn-induced changes
in the valence-band spectra depend strongly on the Mn concentration, suggesting
that the interaction between the Mn ions is more complex than assumed in
earlier studies. The relative position of the Fermi level is also found to be
concentration-dependent. In particular we find that for concentrations around
3.5--5% it is located very close to the valence-band maximum, which is in the
range where metallic conductivity has been reported in earlier studies. For
concentration outside this range, larger as well as smaller, the Fermi level is
found to be pinned at about 0.15 eV higher energy.Comment: REVTeX style; 7 pages, 3 figure
Capping-induced suppression of annealing in Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As epilayers
We have studied the effects of capping ferromagnetic Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As epilayers
with a thin layer of undoped GaAs, and we find that even a few monolayers of
GaAs have a significant effect on the ferromagnetic properties. In particular,
the presence of a capping layer only 10 monolayers thick completely suppresses
the enhancement of the ferromagnetism associated with low temperature
annealing. This result, which demonstrates that the surface of a Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As
epilayer strongly affects the defect structure, has important implications for
the incorporation of Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As into device heterostructures.Comment: 13 pages with figures attatche
Annealing-Dependent Magnetic Depth Profile in Ga[1-x]Mn[x]As
We have studied the depth-dependent magnetic and structural properties of
as-grown and optimally annealed Ga[1-x]Mn[x]As films using polarized neutron
reflectometry. In addition to increasing total magnetization, the annealing
process was observed to produce a significantly more homogeneous distribution
of the magnetization. This difference in the films is attributed to the
redistribution of Mn at interstitial sites during the annealing process. Also,
we have seen evidence of significant magnetization depletion at the surface of
both as-grown and annealed films.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Spectroscopic determination of hole density in the ferromagnetic semiconductor GaMnAs
The measurement of the hole density in the ferromagnetic semiconductor
GaMnAs is notoriously difficult using standard transport
techniques due to the dominance of the anomalous Hall effect. Here, we report
the first spectroscopic measurement of the hole density in four
GaMnAs samples () at room temperature
using Raman scattering intensity analysis of the coupled plasmon-LO-phonon mode
and the unscreened LO phonon. The unscreened LO phonon frequency linearly
decreases as the Mn concentration increases up to 8.3%. The hole density
determined from the Raman scattering shows a monotonic increase with increasing
for , exhibiting a direct correlation to the observed .
The optical technique reported here provides an unambiguous means of
determining the hole density in this important new class of ``spintronic''
semiconductor materials.Comment: two-column format 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review
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