Two-dimensional Mn structure on the GaN growth surface and evidence for room-temperature spin ordering

Kangkang Wang, Noboru Takeuchi, Abhijit V. Chinchore, Wenzhi Lin, Yinghao Liu, and Arthur R. Smith

Phys. Rev. B 83, 165407 – Published 8 April 2011

Abstract

A class of striped superstructures with local hexagonal ordering has been obtained by depositing submonolayer Mn on the GaN(0001) surface. Combining scanning tunneling microscopy and first-principles theory, we find that Mn atoms incorporate into the surface and form a high-density two-dimensional Mn $_{x}$ Ga $_{1 - x}$ structure. The highly spin-polarized Mn $d$ electrons are found to dominate the surface electronic states. For the narrowest stripes, we calculate a row-wise antiferromagnetic ground state, which is observed in real space at room temperature as a spin-induced asymmetry in the density of states. These two-dimensional magnetic structures on GaN can also be considered model systems for wide-band-gap magnet/semiconductor spin injectors.

Received 25 January 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.165407

Authors & Affiliations

Kangkang Wang¹, Noboru Takeuchi^1,2, Abhijit V. Chinchore¹, Wenzhi Lin¹, Yinghao Liu^1,*, and Arthur R. Smith^1,†

¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701, USA
²Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 14, Ensenada Baja California, Codigo Postal 22800, Mexico

^*Present address: MPA-CINT, MS K771, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
^†smitha2@ohio.edu

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Vol. 83, Iss. 16 — 15 April 2011

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