Current Applied Physics, Vol.6, No.3, 478-481, 2006
Magnetic and electrical properties of MBE-grown (Ge1-xSix)(1-y)Mn-y thin films
The polycrystalline (Si1-xGex)(1-y)Mn-y thin films have been grown by using MBE and investigated. In Si1-xMnx and Ge1-xMnx alloy, Ge3Mn5 and SiMn phases are representative strong ferromagnetic phases. Ge3Mn5 are mainly formed when Ge is rich, and SiMn are mainly formed when Si is rich. These formations of specific phases are provable from structure analysis by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and measuring magnetic properties by magnetic properties measurement system (MPMS). At low Ge composition, saturation magnetization values and Curie temperature generally increase with Ge composition. Ferromagnetic properties of polycrystalline (Si1-xGex)(1-y)Mn-y thin films near RT disappear when amounts of Si become over 70 at.% in Si1-xGex alloy because Ge3Mn5 phase that have T, around 310 K cannot be formed. It is confirmed that structural analysis shows that Ge is incorporated interstitially in the SiMn phase structure with a lattice expansion with respect to the original compound. But, definite properties change can not be observed. Hall measurement shows that polycrystalline (Si1-xGex)(1-y)Mn-y thin films have p-type. Temperature dependency resistivity of (Si1-xGex)(1-y)Mn-y thin films behavior like metal. However, there exist some transition points in resistivity curve that are relation with Curie temperature of magnetic phases. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.