Half-Metallicity in Smallest Cage-like Cluster of CdTe with Doping of Transition Metal Atoms

TL;DR

This study uses first-principles calculations to explore how doping a CdTe cage-like cluster with transition metals induces half-metallicity, revealing potential for spintronics applications.

Contribution

It is the first to demonstrate transition metal doping induces half-metallicity in a small CdTe cage-like cluster, with detailed electronic structure analysis.

Findings

Passivation widens energy gap and stabilizes the cluster.

Doping induces polarization and half-metallic behavior.

Different dopants cause electron or hole doping, suitable for spintronics.

Abstract

We report first principles theory based electronic structure studies of a semiconducting stoichiometric cage-like Cd9Te9 cluster. Substantial changes are observed in the electronic structure of the cluster on passivation with fictitious hydrogen atoms, in particular, widening of the energy gap between highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and enhancement in stability of cluster is seen. The cluster, when substitutionally mono-doped for a Cd by a set of 3d and 4d transition metal atoms (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ru, Rh and Pd), is found to acquire polarization as seen from spin resolved density of states near Fermi level. Further, such mono-doping in passivated cluster shows half-metallic behavior. Mapping of partial density of states of each system on that of undoped cluster reveals additional levels caused by doping each TM atom separately. In the 3d elemental doping, Ti and Mn doping result into electron type doping whereas all other cases result into hole doped systems. For all the 4d elements studied, it is akin to the doping with holes for Cd substitution in the outer ring, whereas for Ru and Rh, there is electron type doping in case of substitution for Cd in central ring upon passivation. A comparison of partial density of states plots for bare and passivated clusters, on doping with transition metal atoms, suggests suitability of the cage-like cluster for spintronics applications.