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Inhomogeneous distribution of manganese atoms in ferromagnetic ZnSnAs2:Mn thin films on InP revealed by three-dimensional atom probe investigation
- Source :
- Journal of Applied Physics. 117:17B905
- Publication Year :
- 2015
- Publisher :
- AIP Publishing, 2015.
-
Abstract
- Atomic-scale Mn distributions in ferromagnetic ZnSnAs2:Mn thin films grown on InP substrates have been studied by applying three-dimensional atom probe (3DAP) microscopy. It is found that Mn atoms in cross-sectional 3DAP maps show the presence of inhomogeneities in Mn distribution, which is characteristic patterns of a spinoidal decomposition phase with slightly high and low concentration regions. The high Mn concentration regions are expected to be coherently clustered MnAs in the zinc-blende structure, resulting in the formation of Mn-As random connecting patterns. The origin of room-temperature ferromagnetism in ZnSnAs2:Mn on InP can be well explained by the formation of atomic-scale magnetic clustering by spinoidal decomposition without breaking the continuity of the zinc-blende structure, which has been suggested by previous theoretical works. The lattice-matching between magnetic epi-layers and substrates should be one of the most important factors to avoid the formation of secondary hexagonal MnAs phase precipitates in preparing ferromagnetic semiconductor thin films.
- Subjects :
- Materials science
Condensed matter physics
Spinodal decomposition
General Physics and Astronomy
chemistry.chemical_element
Atom probe
Manganese
Magnetic semiconductor
law.invention
Condensed Matter::Materials Science
Scanning probe microscopy
Ferromagnetism
chemistry
law
Phase (matter)
Thin film
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10897550 and 00218979
- Volume :
- 117
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Applied Physics
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........8ae4bba5cfbdb05c50ea5af0eb5e2cbe
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4914065