Spin glass in semiconducting KFe$_{1.05}$Ag$_{0.88}$Te$_{2}$ single crystals

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery of semiconducting spin glass behavior in KFe$_{1.05}$Ag$_{0.88}$Te$_{2}$ single crystals, revealing how slight compositional changes influence magnetic states without affecting conductivity.

Contribution

It demonstrates that minor stoichiometric variations in Fe/Ag sublattice induce a spin glass state in a semiconducting material, providing new insights into magnetic ground states and gap mechanisms.

Findings

Identification of spin glass ground state in KFe$_{1.05}$Ag$_{0.88}$Te$_{2}$

Minor compositional changes alter magnetic but not electronic properties

Insights into the semiconducting gap mechanism

Abstract

We report discovery of KFe$_{1.05}$Ag$_{0.88}$Te$_{2}$ single crystals with semiconducting spin glass ground state. Composition and structure analysis suggest nearly stoichiometric I4/mmm space group but allow for the existence of vacancies, absent in long range semiconducting antiferromagnet KFe$_{0.85}$Ag$_{1.15}$Te$_{2}$. The subtle change in stoichometry in Fe/Ag sublattice changes magnetic ground state but not conductivity, giving further insight into the semiconducting gap mechanism.