High-throughput computational discovery of In2Mn2O7 as a high Curie temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor for spintronics

Materials combining strong ferromagnetism and good semiconducting properties are highly desirable for spintronic applications (e.g., in spin-filtering devices). In this work, we conduct a search for concentrated ferromagnetic semiconductors through high-throughput computational screening. Our screening reveals the limited availability of semiconductors combining ferromagnetism and a low effective mass. We identify the manganese pyrochlore oxide In2Mn2O7 as especially promising for spin transport as it combines low electron effective mass (0.29 m(0)), a large exchange splitting of the conduction band (1.1 eV), stability in air, and a Curie temperature (about 130 K) among the highest of concentrated ferromagnetic semiconductors. We rationalise the high performance of In2Mn2O7 by the unique combination of a pyrochlore lattice favouring ferromagnetism with an adequate alignment of O-2p, Mn-3d, and In-5s forming a dispersive conduction band while enhancing the Curie temperature.