Spatially homogeneous ferromagnetism of (Ga, Mn)As

Mn-doped GaAs is a ferromagnetic semiconductor, widely studied because of its possible application for spin-sensitive 'spintronics' devices. The material also attracts great interest in fundamental research regarding its evolution from a paramagnetic insulator to a ferromagnetic metal. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature materials 2010-04, Vol.9 (4), p.299-303
Main Authors: Uemura, Y. J, Dunsiger, S. R, Carlo, J. P, Goko, T, Nieuwenhuys, G, Prokscha, T, Suter, A, Morenzoni, E, Chiba, D, Nishitani, Y, Tanikawa, T, Matsukura, F, Ohno, H, Ohe, J, Maekawa, S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
639/301/1034
639/301/119/544
639/301/119/997
Anisotropy
Biomaterials
Chemistry and Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Conductivity
Electronics
Evolution
Ferromagnetism
Gallium
Gallium arsenide
Heat treatment
letter
Magnetism
Manganese
Materials Science
Metals
Nanotechnology
Optical and Electronic Materials
Phase boundaries
Physical properties
Probes
Semiconductor doping
Semiconductors
Thin films
Volume fraction
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Summary:Mn-doped GaAs is a ferromagnetic semiconductor, widely studied because of its possible application for spin-sensitive 'spintronics' devices. The material also attracts great interest in fundamental research regarding its evolution from a paramagnetic insulator to a ferromagnetic metal. The high sensitivity of its physical properties to preparation conditions and heat treatments and the strong doping and temperature dependencies of the magnetic anisotropy have generated a view in the research community that ferromagnetism in (Ga, Mn)As may be associated with unavoidable and intrinsic strong spatial inhomogeneity. Muon spin relaxation (μSR) probes magnetism, yielding unique information about the volume fraction of regions having static magnetic order, as well as the size and distribution of the ordered moments. By combining low-energy μSR, conductivity and a.c. and d.c. magnetization results obtained on high-quality thin-film specimens, we demonstrate here that (Ga, Mn)As shows a sharp onset of ferromagnetic order, developing homogeneously in the full volume fraction, in both insulating and metallic films. Smooth evolution of the ordered moment size across the insulator-metal phase boundary indicates strong ferromagnetic coupling between Mn moments that exists before the emergence of fully itinerant hole carriers.
ISSN:1476-1122
1476-4660
DOI:10.1038/nmat2715