The semiconductor ZnO has gained substantial interest in the research community in part because of its large exciton binding energy (60meV) which could lead to lasing action based on exciton recombination even above room temperature. Even though research focusing on ZnO goes back many decades, the renewed interest is fueled by availability of high-quality substrates and reports of p-type conduction and ferromagnetic behavior when doped with transitions metals, both of which remain controversial. It is this renewed interest in ZnO which forms the basis of this review. As mentioned already, ZnO is not new to the semiconductor field, with studies of its lattice parameter dating back to 1935 by Bunn [Proc. Phys. Soc. London 47, 836 (1935)], studies of its vibrational properties with Raman scattering in 1966 by Damen et al. [Phys. Rev. 142, 570 (1966)], detailed optical studies in 1954 by Mollwo [Z. Angew. Phys. 6, 257 (1954)], and its growth by chemical-vapor transport in 1970 by Galli and Coker [Appl. Phys. ...

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A comprehensive review of zno materials and devices

Spintronics, or spin electronics, involves the study of active control and manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. This article reviews the current status of this subject, including both recent advances and well-established results. The primary focus is on the basic physical principles underlying the generation of carrier spin polarization, spin dynamics, and spin-polarized transport in semiconductors and metals. Spin transport differs from charge transport in that spin is a nonconserved quantity in solids due to spin-orbit and hyperfine coupling. The authors discuss in detail spin decoherence mechanisms in metals and semiconductors. Various theories of spin injection and spin-polarized transport are applied to hybrid structures relevant to spin-based devices and fundamental studies of materials properties. Experimental work is reviewed with the emphasis on projected applications, in which external electric and magnetic fields and illumination by light will be used to control spin and charge dynamics to create new functionalities not feasible or ineffective with conventional electronics.

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Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications

REVIEW Semiconductor devices generally take advantage of the charge of electrons, whereas magnetic materials are used for recording information involving electron spin. To make use of both charge and spin of electrons in semiconductors, a high concentration of magnetic elements can be introduced in nonmagnetic III-V semiconductors currently in use for devices. Low solubility of magnetic elements was overcome by low-temperature nonequilibrium molecular beam epitaxial growth, and ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As was realized. Magnetotransport measurements revealed that the magnetic transition temperature can be as high as 110 kelvin. The origin of the ferromagnetic interaction is discussed. Multilayer heterostructures including resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) have also successfully been fabricated. The magnetic coupling between two ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As films separated by a nonmagnetic layer indicated the critical role of the holes in the magnetic coupling. The magnetic coupling in all semiconductor ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic layered structures, together with the possibility of spin filtering in RTDs, shows the potential of the present material system for exploring new physics and for developing new functionality toward future electronics.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/281/5379/951.full.pdf

Making Nonmagnetic Semiconductors Ferromagnetic

We review the physical properties of diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) of the type AII1−xMnxBVI (e.g., Cd1−xMnxSe, Hg1−xMnxTe). Crystallographic properties are discussed first, with emphasis on the common structural features which these materials have as a result of tetrahedral bonding. We then describe the band structure of the AII1−xMnxBVI alloys in the absence of an external magnetic field, stressing the close relationship of the sp electron bands in these materials to the band structure of the nonmagnetic AIIBVI ‘‘parent’’ semiconductors. In addition, the characteristics of the narrow (nearly localized) band arising from the half‐filled Mn 3d5 shells are described, along with their profound effect on the optical properties of DMS. We then describe our present understanding of the magnetic properties of the AII1−xMnxBVI alloys. In particular, we discuss the mechanism of the Mn++‐Mn++ exchange, which underlies the magnetism of these materials; we present an analytic formulation for the magnetic susc...

Diluted magnetic semiconductors

Dilute ferromagnetic oxides having Curie temperatures far in excess of 300 K and exceptionally large ordered moments per transition-metal cation challenge our understanding of magnetism in solids. These materials are high-k dielectrics with degenerate or thermally activated n-type semiconductivity. Conventional super-exchange or double-exchange interactions cannot produce long-range magnetic order at concentrations of magnetic cations of a few percent. We propose that ferromagnetic exchange here, and in dilute ferromagnetic nitrides, is mediated by shallow donor electrons that form bound magnetic polarons, which overlap to create a spin-split impurity band. The Curie temperature in the mean-field approximation varies as (xdelta)(1/2) where x and delta are the concentrations of magnetic cations and donors, respectively. High Curie temperatures arise only when empty minority-spin or majority-spin d states lie at the Fermi level in the impurity band. The magnetic phase diagram includes regions of semiconducting and metallic ferromagnetism, cluster paramagnetism, spin glass and canted antiferromagnetism.

Donor impurity band exchange in dilute ferromagnetic oxides.

The influence of charge-carrier concentration on the magnetic properties of the semimagnetic semiconductor [(PbTe${)}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$(SnTe${)}_{\mathrm{x}}$${]}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{y}}$[MnTe] $_{\mathrm{y}}$ (x=0.72, y=0.03) is reported. Magnetization, magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat have been measured. For carrier concentrations below p=3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{20}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ the alloy is paramagnetic. For p\ensuremath{\ge}3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{20}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ an abrupt transition to a ferromagnetic phase is observed at helium temperatures. The ferromagnetic transition temperature increases with increasing p. This is the first demonstration of the effect of carrier concentration on the magnetic properties of semimagnetic semiconductors.

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Carrier-concentration-induced ferromagnetism in PbSnMnTe.

The magnetic behavior of insulating doped diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS's) is characterized by the interaction of large collective spins known as bound magnetic polarons. Experimental measurements of the susceptibility of these materials have suggested that the polaron-polaron interaction is ferromagnetic, in contrast to the antiferromagnetic carrier-carrier interactions that are characteristic of nonmagnetic semiconductors. To explain this behavior, a model has been developed in which polarons interact via both the standard direct carrier-carrier exchange interaction (due to virtual carrier hopping) and an indirect carrier-ion-carrier exchange interaction (due to the interactions of polarons with magnetic ions in an interstitial region). Using a variational procedure, the optimal values of the model parameters were determined as a function of temperature. At temperatures of interest, the parameters describing polaron-polaron interactions were found to be nearly temperature-independent. For reasonable values of these constant parameters, we find that indirect ferromagnetic interactions can dominate the direct antiferromagnetic interactions and cause the polarons to align. This result supports the experimental evidence for ferromagnetism in insulating doped DMS's.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/cond-mat/0111497.pdf

Bound magnetic polaron interactions in insulating doped diluted magnetic semiconductors

Spin-flip Raman scattering, bound magnetic polaron, and fluctuations in (Cd,Mn)Se

We report the observation of negative absolute mobility of electrons (i.e., a drift toward the negative electrode) in $p$-modulation-doped GaAs quantum wells. This unusual effect results from "carrier drag" on the electrons by the high-mobility hole plasma via electron-hole scattering.

Negative absolute mobility of minority electrons in GaAs quantum wells.

Light scattering spectra of photoexcited electron-hole plasmas in GaAs show features due to the multicomponent nature of the plasma, and also specific to the presence of holes. At low energies, \ensuremath{\sim}5 meV, we observe a Landau-damped acoustic plasma mode. At higher energies inter-valence-band transitions of the photoexcited holes modify the spectra of coupled optic-plasmon-LO-phonon modes.

P. A. Wolff

Papers

Carrier-concentration-induced ferromagnetism in PbSnMnTe.

Bound magnetic polaron interactions in insulating doped diluted magnetic semiconductors

Spin-flip Raman scattering, bound magnetic polaron, and fluctuations in (Cd,Mn)Se

Negative absolute mobility of minority electrons in GaAs quantum wells.

Collective Modes of Photoexcited Electron-Hole Plasmas in GaAs