Half Metallic Digital Ferromagnetic Heterostructure Composed of a (Delta)-doped Layer of Mn in Si
The authors propose and investigate the properties of a digital ferromagnetic heterostructure (DFH) consisting of a {delta}-doped layer of Mn in Si, using ab initio electronic-structure methods. They find that (1) ferromagnetic order of the Mn layer is energetically favorable relative to antiferromagnetic, and (2) the heterostructure is a two-dimensional half metallic system. The metallic behavior is contributed by three majority-spin bands originating from hybridized Mn-d and nearest-neighbor Si-p states, and the corresponding carriers are responsible for the ferromagnetic order in the Mn layer. The minority-spin channel has a calculated semiconducting gap of 0.25 eV. Analysis of the total and partial densities of states, band structure, Fermi surfaces and associated charge density reveals the marked two-dimensional nature of the half metallicity. The band lineup is found to be favorable for retaining the half metal character to near the Curie temperature (T{sub C}). Being Si based and possibly having a high T{sub C} as suggested by an experiment on dilutely doped Mn in Si, the heterostructure may be of special interest for integration into mature Si technologies for spintronic applications.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 907868
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JRNL-221761; PRLTAO; TRN: US0703339
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 96; ISSN 0031-9007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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