Electronic structure of Ba(Zn0.875Mn0.125)2As2 studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

TL;DR

This study investigates the electronic structure of a Mn-doped BaZn2As2 compound using high-resolution ARPES, revealing Mn-related states and their hybridization with As orbitals, with results aligning closely with first-principle calculations.

Contribution

It provides detailed experimental band structure data of Ba(Zn,Mn)2As2, identifying Mn 3d states and their hybridization, advancing understanding of its electronic properties as a high-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor.

Findings

Mn 3d states identified at -1.6 eV and -3.3 eV

Strong hybridization between Mn and As orbitals observed

No hybridization gap detected between Mn 3d states and valence bands

Abstract

Electronic structure of single crystalline Ba(Zn$_{0.875}$Mn$_{0.125}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$, parent compound of the recently founded high-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor, was studied by high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Through systematically photon energy and polarization dependent measurements, the energy bands along the out-of-plane and in-plane directions were experimentally determined. Except the localized states of Mn, the measured band dispersions agree very well with the first-principle calculations of undoped BaZn$_{2}$As$_{2}$. A new feature related to Mn 3d states was identified at the binding energies of about -1.6 eV besides the previously observed feature at about -3.3 eV. We suggest that the hybridization between Mn and As orbitals strongly enhanced the density of states around -1.6 eV. Although our resolution is much better compared with previous soft X-ray photoemission experiments, no clear hybridization gap between Mn 3d states and the valence bands proposed by previous model calculations was detected.