Magnetic phases in polycrystalline Si1-xMnx semiconductors grown by MBE

Abstract

Polycrystalline Si1-xMnx semiconductor thin films were grown on SiO2/(1 0 0)Si substrates at 400degreesC using a molecular beam epitaxy, and their magnetic and electrical properties have been studied. The polycrystalline Si1-xMnx semiconductor has p-type carriers and electrical resistivity is 2.0 x 10(-4) - 1.3 x 10(-3) Omegacm at room temperature. Saturation magnetization increases with Mn concentration and reaches a maximum of 12.8 emu/cm(3) at Mn 28.8 at%. Magnetization characteristics and X-ray analysis reveal the ferromagnetic SiMn phase and the anti-ferromagnetic Si3Mn5 phase are the major magnetic phases formed in the polycrystalline Si1-xMnx semiconductors. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.