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

Abstract 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 Mn 2+ in the AlMnAs.