Magnetic-cations doped into a Double Perovskite Semiconductor

TL;DR

This study explores magnetic ion doping in double perovskite Sr2GaSbO6, revealing how Cr3+ and Fe3+ substitution affects magnetic properties and band gaps, advancing understanding of magnetic semiconductors.

Contribution

It introduces new Cr- and Fe-doped double perovskite solid solutions and characterizes their structural and magnetic properties, highlighting the effects of magnetic doping.

Findings

Cr- and Fe-doped phases show dominant antiferromagnetic coupling.

Band gaps decrease with increasing magnetic ion substitution.

All compositions retain the same crystal structure as the undoped phase.

Abstract

We report two solid solutions based on magnetic ion doping of the double perovskite oxide Sr2GaSbO6: Sr2Ga1-xCrxSbO6 (0.1 < x < 0.4) and Sr2Ga1-xFexSbO6 (0.1 < x < 0.4). All compositions crystallize in the same space group (I4/m) as their undoped parent phase Sr2GaSbO6, with the trivalent magnetic cations Cr3+ or Fe3+ partially substituting for non-magnetic Ga3+ in one of the B-cation sites. The Cr- and Fe-doped phases display dominant antiferromagnetic coupling among the dopant magnetic moments, and exhibit decreasing band gaps with increasing substitution level.