Curie temperature control by band parameters tuning in Pb(1-x-y-z)Mn(x)Sn(y)Eu(z)Te

TL;DR

This study investigates how tuning band parameters in a semimagnetic semiconductor affects its Curie temperature, revealing that Eu content and band structure significantly influence magnetic properties.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of the impact of Eu content and band parameters on the Curie temperature in Pb(1-x-y-z)Mn(x)Sn(y)Eu(z)Te, supported by theoretical modeling.

Findings

Curie temperature depends strongly on Eu content.

Heavy mass Sigma band location influences magnetic behavior.

Theoretical models confirm the band structure's role in magnetic properties.

Abstract

We present the study of magnetic and transport properties of Pb(1-x-y-z)Mn(x)Sn(y)Eu(z)Te. AC magnetic susceptibility measurements as well as transport characterization were performed. The obtained results indicate that the presence of two types of magnetic ions influences magnetic properties of investigated IV-VI semimagnetic semiconductor. A qualitative analysis and possible mechanisms of the substantial dependence of the Curie temperature on the Eu content are presented. The most likely reason of the observed Curie temperature behaviour is a strong dependence of the location of a heavy mass Sigma band upon the alloy composition. The theoretical calculations in frame of simple models confirm this point.