Fundamental optical properties of thin films of (Ga,Mn)As diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor with a low (1%) and high (6%) Mn content and of a reference GaAs film, grown by low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy, have been investigated by photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy. In addition, the films were subjected to complementary characterization by means of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, Raman spectroscopy, and high resolution X-ray diffractometry. Thorough full-line-shape analysis of the PR spectra, which enabled determination of the E 0 electronic transition in (Ga,Mn)As, revealed significant differences between the energy band structures in vicinity of the Γ point of the Brillouin zone for the two (Ga,Mn)As films. In view of the obtained experimental results the evolution of the valence band structure in (Ga,Mn)As with increasing Mn content is discussed, pointing to a merging the Mn-related impurity band with the host GaAs valence band for high Mn content.
Impact of Bi incorporation into (Ga,Mn)As layers on their electronic- and band-structures as well as their magnetic and structural properties has been studied. Homogenous (Ga,Mn)(Bi,As) layers of high structural perfection have been grown by the low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy technique. Post-growth annealing treatment of the layers results in an improvement of their structural and magnetic properties and an increase in the hole concentration in the layers. The modulation photoreflectance spectroscopy results are consistent with the valence-band model of hole-mediated ferromagnetism in the layers. This material combines the properties of (Ga,Mn)As and Ga(Bi,As) ternary compounds and offers the possibility of tuning its electrical and magnetic properties by controlling the alloy composition.
The high-spectral-resolution spectroscopic studies of the energy gap evolution, supplemented with electronic, magnetic and structural characterization, show that the modification of the GaAs valence band caused by Mn incorporation occurs already for a very low Mn content, much lower than that required to support ferromagnetic spin -spin coupling in (Ga,Mn)As. Only for n-type (Ga,Mn)As with the Mn content below about 0.3% the Mnrelated extended states are visible as a feature detached from the valence-band edge and partly occupied with electrons. The combined magnetic and low-temperature photoreflectance studies presented here indicate that the paramagnetic -ferromagnetic transformation in p-type (Ga,Mn)As takes place without imposing changes of the unitary character of the valence band with the Fermi level located therein. The whole process is rooted in the nanoscale fluctuations of the local (hole) density of states and the formation of a superparamagnetic-like state. The Fermi level in (Ga,Mn)As is coarsened by the carrier concentration of the itinerant valence band holes and further fine-tuned by the many-body interactions.
ZnSe nanocrystals have been formed in the silicon dioxide matrix by the sequential high-fluence implantation of Zn + and Se + ions at 500°C. After implantation a part of samples was annealed at 1000°C for 3 min using rapid thermal annealing. Structural and optical properties of ZnSe/SiO 2 nano-composite films were analyzed by means of Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry, cross-sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy, Raman scattering and photoluminescence techniques. It was shown that a sequence of implantation affects structural and optical properties of synthesized ZnSe clusters. Based on the Raman scattering and photoluminescence data the samples for which Zn ions were implanted first exhibited a better ZnSe crystalline quality than those of reverse sequence of implantation, i.e. with Se ions implanted at the beginning. The bands of blue ZnSe band edge emission and green-red ZnSe deep defect level emission were revealed in the PL spectra of the as-implanted and annealed nano-composites. The PL spectral features observed in the blue region are due to the quantum-size effects in the ZnSe nanocrystals embedded into the silicon dioxide matrix. The PL intensity ratio of the deep defect band to the near edge emission is higher in the samples first implanted with Se ions, and Zn ions implanted next. The effect of rapid thermal annealing on structural and light-emitting properties was discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.