Half-metallic hole-doped Mn/Si trilayers

• Published in: Journal of physics. D, Applied physics Applied physics, 2013-04, Vol.46 (16), p.165502-1-5
• Main Authors: Yang, L H, Shaughnessy, M, Damewood, L, Fong, C Y, Liu, Kai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Devices; Exact sciences and technology; Interstitials; Magnetic properties; Magnetic properties and materials; Manganese; Mathematical analysis; Physics; Silicon; Spintronics; Thermal properties of condensed matter; Thermal properties of crystalline solids; Thermodynamic properties; Transition metals
• ISSN: 0022-3727; 1361-6463
• DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/46/16/165502

Metallic trilayers are successfully used to fabricate spintronic devices. To pursue an analogue of layer-structured spintronic materials, we demonstrate that it is possible to obtain attractive magnetic properties in hole-doped Mn/Si trilayers. We found that by forming a trilayer structure, with Mn-occupying interstitial sites, and by introducing a layer of holes in between, the sample can be a half-metal. This new finding should open a viable route to grow Si-based half-metallic spintronic materials because doping Mn at interstitial sites significantly reduces the formation-energy barrier as compared with the transition metal element occupying substitutional sites. An argument is also presented that a finite width of an Mn layer may not destroy the half-metallic property.