Ferromagnetism in semiconductors and oxides: prospects from a ten years' perspective

TL;DR

This paper reviews a decade of research on ferromagnetism in semiconductors and oxides, highlighting experimental and theoretical advances that clarify past controversies and open new research avenues.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of recent experimental and theoretical progress in ferromagnetic semiconductors and oxides, addressing previous controversies and suggesting future research directions.

Findings

Demonstration of low-temperature functionalities in ferromagnetic structures

Observation of ferromagnetic signatures at high temperatures in non-metallic systems

Theoretical developments clarifying experimental controversies

Abstract

Over the last decade the search for compounds combining the resources of semiconductors and ferromagnets has evolved into an important field of materials science. This endeavour has been fuelled by continual demonstrations of remarkable low-temperature functionalities found for ferromagnetic structures of (Ga,Mn)As, p-(Cd,Mn)Te, and related compounds as well as by ample observations of ferromagnetic signatures at high temperatures in a number of non-metallic systems. In this paper, recent experimental and theoretical developments are reviewed emphasising that, from the one hand, they disentangle many controversies and puzzles accumulated over the last decade and, on the other, offer new research prospects.