Ferromagnetism in short-period GaGdN/GaN superlattices grown by RF-MBE

GaGdN single layers and GaGdN/GaN short-period superlattices (SLs) were grown on Al2O3(0001) substrates by radio frequency molecular beam epitaxy (RF-MBE) and their magnetic and structural properties were investigated. Both types of samples exhibited ferromagnetic characteristics at both 10 and 300 K. Clear hysteresis and clear saturation were observed in the magnetization vs. magnetic field curves at both temperatures. The GaGdN/GaN short-period SL samples showed significantly higher saturation magnetization than the GaGdN single layer samples. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)