English

Independent Electronic and Magnetic Doping in (Ga,Mn)As Based Digital Ferromagnetic Heterostructures

Materials Science 2009-11-10 v1 Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Abstract

Ferromagnetic semiconductors promise the extension of metal-based spintronics into a material system that combines widely tunable electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. Here, we take steps towards realizing that promise by achieving independent control of electronic doping in the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As. Samples are comprised of superlattices of 0.5 monolayer (ML) MnAs alternating with 20 ML GaAs and are grown by low temperature (230 C) atomic layer epitaxy (ALE). This allows for the reduction of excess As incorporation and hence the number of charge-compensating As-related defects. We grow a series of samples with either Be or Si doping in the GaAs spacers (p- and n-type dopants, respectively), and verify their structural quality by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and ex situ x-ray diffraction. Magnetization measurements reveal ferromagnetic behavior over the entire doping range, and show no sign of MnAs precipitates. Finally, magneto-transport shows the giant planar Hall effect and strong (20%) resistance fluctuations that may be related to domain wall motion.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0303461,
  title  = {Independent Electronic and Magnetic Doping in (Ga,Mn)As Based Digital Ferromagnetic Heterostructures},
  author = {E. Johnston-Halperin and J. A. Schuller and C. S. Gallinat and T. C. Kreutz and R. C. Myers and R. K. Kawakami and H. Knotz and A. C. Gossard and D. D. Awschalom},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0303461},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

Submitted to Physical Review B. 30 pages, 9 figures