Magnetic polaron-related optical properties in Ni(Ⅱ)-doped Cd S nanobelts: Implication for spin nanophotonic devices

Emissions by magnetic polarons and spin-coupled d-d transitions in diluted magnetic semiconductors(DMSs)have become a popular research field due to their unusual optical behaviors.In this work,high-quality NiI₂(Ⅱ)-doped CdS nanobelts are synthesized via chemical vapor deposition(CVD),and then characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),x-ray diffraction,x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and Raman scattering.At low temperatures,the photoluminescence(PL)spectra of the Ni-doped nanobelts demonstrate three peaks near the band edge:the free exciton(FX)peak,the exciton magnetic polaron(EMP)peak out of ferromagnetically coupled spins coupled with FXs,and a small higher-energy peak from the interaction of antiferromagnetic coupled Ni pairs and FXs,called antiferromagnetic magnetic polarons(AMPs).With a higher Ni doping concentration,in addition to the d-d transitions of single Ni ions at 620 nm and 760 nm,two other PL peaks appear at 530 nm and 685 nm,attributed to another EMP emission and the d-d transitions of the antiferromagnetic coupled Ni²⁺-Ni²⁺pair,respectively.Furthermore,single-mode lasing at the first EMP is excited by a femtosecond laser pulse,proving a coherent bosonic lasing of the EMP condensate out of complicated states.These results show that the coupled spins play an important role in forming magnetic polaron and implementing related optical responses.