Growth and characterization of Al1-XMnXas (X ≤ 4%) magnetic semiconductor:: thin film and superlattices

A new diluted magnetic semiconductor, AlMnAs. was grown using stoichiometric low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy, with Mn composition up to 4%. In situ (RHEED) and ex situ (XRD, SIMS) characterization of uniform thin films and a GaAs/AlMnAs superlattice revealed good crystal quality, and a very high Mn incorporation. Magnetic and electrical characterization showed the samples to be semi-insulating and hence paramagnetic, due to the lack of free carriers. The magnetic moment can be explained assuming Mn2+ in the AlMnAs. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.