Ferromagnetic phase transition in zinc blende (Mn,Cr)S-layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Journal Article · Mon Mar 26 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3697834· OSTI ID:22025487

Demper, M; Heimbrodt, W ^[1]; Bradford, C; Prior, K A ^[2]; Kehrle, J ^[3]; Krug von Nidda, H -A; Loidl, A ^[4]

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1. Department of Physics and Material Science Center, Philipps University, Marburg 35032 (Germany)
2. Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, SUPA, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS (United Kingdom)
3. Experimental Physics II, Department of Physics, University of Augsburg, Augsburg 86159 (Germany)
4. Experimental Physics V, Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, University of Augsburg, Augsburg 86159 (Germany)

We studied the magnetization of zinc blende Mn{sub 1-x}Cr{sub x}S films embedded between diamagnetic ZnSe layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy with chromium mole fractions x {<=} 0.7. These ternary semiconductors exhibit an increasing ferromagnetic contribution with increasing x caused by competing antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic coupling. As a result, whereas MnS in the zinc blende phase is a pure antiferromagnet, it was found that with increasing x zinc blende Mn{sub 1-x}Cr{sub x}S became a ferromagnet. The ferromagnetic phase transition dominates in case of x greater than about 0.5. Hence, we conclude that metastable zinc blende CrS will be a ferromagnetic material with half-metallic character in contrast to the analogous stable NiAs-structure which exhibits an antiferromagnetic phase transition.

• OSTI ID: 22025487
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 13 Vol. 100; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ANTIFERROMAGNETISM
CHROMIUM SULFIDES
COUPLING
CRYSTAL GROWTH
CUBIC LATTICES
FERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS
FERROMAGNETISM
LAYERS
MAGNETIZATION
MANGANESE SULFIDES
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
THIN FILMS
ZINC SELENIDES