Ferromagnetism in (In,Mn)As alloy thin films grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

TL;DR

This study demonstrates room temperature ferromagnetism in (In,Mn)As alloy thin films grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, with a Curie temperature of 333 K, attributed to Mn pairing rather than nanoprecipitates.

Contribution

It reveals high-temperature ferromagnetism in (In,Mn)As films is due to Mn pairs, not nanoprecipitates, and is independent of Mn concentration.

Findings

Curie temperature of 333 K observed.

Ferromagnetism not caused by MnAs nanoprecipitates.

High-temperature ferromagnetism linked to Mn pairs.

Abstract

Ferromagnetic properties of In1-xMnxAs thin films were investigated. Room temperature ferromagnetic order was observed in nominally single-phase films with x = 0.01-0.10. Magnetization measurements indicated that these In1-xMnxAs samples had a Curie temperature of 333 K. The Curie temperature was independent of Mn concentration. The temperature dependent magnetization along with the magnitude of the saturation magnetization and microstructural data indicate that the source of the high-temperature ferromagnetism in single-phase films is not attributable to MnAs nanoprecipitates. The high transition temperature is attributed to the presence of near neighbor Mn pairs.