Chemically induced ferromagnetism near room temperature in single crystal (Zn\(_{1-x}\)Cr\(_{x}\))Te half-metal

• Published in: arXiv.org 2023-03
• Main Authors: Guo, J, Sarikhani, A, Ghosh, P, Heitmann, T, Hor, Y S, Singh, D K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chromium; Density; Elastic scattering; Ferromagnetism; Magnetic moments; Magnetic semiconductors; Mathematical analysis; Metallicity; Neutron scattering; Neutrons; Room temperature; Semiconductors; Single crystals; Spintronics; Zinc
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2303.09740

Magnetic semiconductors are at the core of recent spintronics research endeavors. Chemically doped II-VI diluted magnetic semiconductors, such as (Zn\(_{1-x}\)Cr\(_{x}\))Te, provide promising platform in this quest. However, a detailed knowledge of the microscopic nature of magnetic ground state is necessary for any practical application. Here, we report on the synergistic study of (Zn\(_{1-x}\)Cr\(_{x}\))Te single crystals using elastic neutron scattering measurements and density functional calculations. For the first time, our research unveils the intrinsic properties of ferromagnetic state in macroscopic specimen of (Zn\(_{0.8}\)Cr\(_{0.2}\))Te. The ferromagnetism is onset at \(T_c \sim\) 290 K and remains somewhat independent to modest change in the substitution coefficient x. We show that magnetic moments on Zn/Cr site develop ferromagnetic correlation in a-c plane with large ordered moment of \(\mu\) = 3.08 \(\mu_B\). Magnetic moment across the lattice is induced via the mediation of Te site, uncoupled to the number of dopant carriers as inferred from the density functional calculation. Additionally, the ab-initio calculations also reveal half-metallicity in x = 0.2 composition. These properties are highly desirable for future spintronic applications.