Iron-based n-type electron-induced ferromagnetic semiconductor

TL;DR

This paper reports the development of an n-type ferromagnetic semiconductor based on iron-doped InAs, enabling control of ferromagnetism via electrons, which is a significant advancement for semiconductor spintronics and device applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel n-type ferromagnetic semiconductor (In,Fe)As doped with electrons, overcoming the p-type limitation of previous FMSs and enabling new spintronic functionalities.

Findings

(In,Fe)As exhibits electron-induced ferromagnetism.

The material can be controlled by both Fe and carrier doping.

It demonstrates potential for spin light-emitting diodes and spin transistors.

Abstract

Carrier-induced ferromagnetic semiconductors (FMSs) have been intensively studied for decades as they have novel functionalities that cannot be achieved with conventional metallic materials. These include the ability to control magnetism by electrical gating or light irradiation, while fully inheriting the advantages of semiconductor materials such as band engineering. Prototype FMSs such as (In,Mn)As or (Ga,Mn)As, however, are always p-type, making it difficult to be used in real spin devices. This is because manganese (Mn) atoms in those materials work as local magnetic moments and acceptors that provide holes for carrier-mediated ferromagnetism. Here we show that by introducing iron (Fe) into InAs, it is possible to fabricate a new FMS with the ability to control ferromagnetism by both Fe and independent carrier doping. Despite the general belief that the tetrahedral Fe-As bonding is antiferromagnetic, we demonstrate that (In,Fe)As doped with electrons behaves as an n-type electron-induced FMS, a missing piece of semiconductor spintronics for decades. This achievement opens the way to realise novel spin-devices such as spin light-emitting diodes or spin field-effect transistors, as well as helps understand the mechanism of carrier-mediated ferromagnetism in FMSs.