Uniaxial strain-modulated electronic structures of CdX (X = S,Se, Te) from first-principles calculations:A comparison between bulk and nanowires

Using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we systematically study the structural deformation and electronic properties of wurtzite CdX(X = S, Se, Te) bulk and nanowires(NWs) under uniaxial [0001] strain. Due to the intrinsic shrinking strain induced by surface contraction, large NWs with {10ˉ10} facets have heavy hole(HH)-like valence band maximum(VBM) states, while NWs with {11ˉ20} facets have crystal hole(CH)-like VBM states. The external uniaxial strain induces an HH–CH band crossing at a critical strain for both bulk and NWs, resulting in nonlinear variations in band gap and hole effective mass at VBM. Unlike the bulk phase, the critical strain of NWs highly depends on the character of the VBM state in the unstrained case, which is closely related to the size and facet of NWs. The critical strain of bulk is at compressive range, while the critical strain of NWs with HH-like and CH-like VBM appears at compressive and tensile strain, respectively. Due to the HH–CH band crossing, the charge distribution of the VBM state in NWs can also be tuned by the external uniaxial strain. Despite the complication of the VBM state, the electron effective mass at conduction band minimum(CBM) of NWs shows a linear relation with the CBM–HH energy difference, the same as the bulk material.     

Polarization of valence band holes in the (Ga,Mn)as diluted magnetic semiconductor

We report on direct measurements of the impurity band hole polarization in the diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As. The polarization of impurity band holes in a magnetic field is strongly enhanced by antiferromagnetic exchange interaction with Mn ions. The temperature dependence of the hole polarization shows a strong increase of this polarization below the Curie temperature. We show that the ground state of the impurity band is formed by uniaxial stress split F=+/-1 states of antiferromagnetically coupled Mn ions (S=5/2) and valence band holes (J=3/2). The gap between the Mn acceptor related impurity band and the valence band is directly measured in a wide range of Mn content.     

Anisotropic magnetoresistance components in (Ga,Mn)As

We explore the basic physical origins of the noncrystalline and crystalline components of the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in (Ga,Mn)As. The sign of the noncrystalline AMR is found to be determined by the form of spin-orbit coupling in the host band and by the relative strengths of the nonmagnetic and magnetic contributions to the Mn impurity potential. We develop experimental methods yielding directly the noncrystalline and crystalline AMR components which are then analyzed independently. We report the observation of an AMR dominated by a large uniaxial crystalline component and show that AMR can be modified by local strain relaxation. Generic implications of our findings for other dilute moment systems are discussed.     

Macroscopic inhomogeneous deformation behavior arising in single crystal Ni–Mn–Ga foils under tensile loading

This study investigated macroscopic inhomogeneous deformation occurring in single-crystal Ni–Mn–Ga foils under uniaxial tensile loading. Two types of single-crystal Ni–Mn–Ga foil samples were examined as-received and after thermo-mechanical training. Local strain and the strain field were measured under tensile loading using laser speckle and digital image correlation. The as-received sample showed a strongly inhomogeneous strain field with intermittence under progressive deformation, but the trained sample result showed strain field homogeneity throughout the specimen surface. The as-received sample is a mainly polycrystalline-like state composed of the domain structure. The sample contains many domain boundaries and large domain structures in the body. Its structure would cause large local strain band nucleation with intermittence. However, the trained one is an ideal single-crystalline state with a transformation preferential orientation of variants after almost all domain boundary and large domain structures vanish during thermo-mechanical training. As a result, macroscopic homogeneous deformation occurs on the trained sample surface during deformation.     

Magnetization-switched metal-insulator transition in a (Ga,Mn)as tunnel device

We observe the occurrence of an Efros-Shklovskii gap in (Ga,Mn)As based tunnel junctions. The occurrence of the gap is controlled by the extent of the hole wave function on the Mn acceptor atoms. Using k.p-type calculations we show that this extent depends crucially on the direction of the magnetization in the (Ga,Mn)As (which has two almost equivalent easy axes). This implies one can reversibly tune the system into the insulating or metallic state by changing the magnetization.     

Local electronic structure around Mn and Ga in Mn-doped GaN films showing room temperature ferromagnetism

Local electronic structures around Ga and Mn in Mn-doped GaN film with T_c of 940 K are investigated by K X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis. It was found that the shape of the Ga XANES spectrum is remarkably similar to that of the un-doped GaN film indicating that the local electronic structure around Ga is not disturbed with Mn doping. As for the Mn XANES spectra, obvious pre-edge peaks were observed: the fine structures in the pre-edges correspond with calculated Mn 3d partial density of states which predict impurity band formation with the Fermi energy stays in the spin-up band. These findings imply that Mn 3d levels stay within the gap with the Fermi energy stays in the spin-up band.     

Infrared probe of itinerant ferromagnetism in Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As

The doping and temperature dependence of the complex conductivity is determined for the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga(1-x)Mn(x)As. A broad resonance develops with Mn doping at an energy scale of approximately 200 meV, well within the GaAs band gap. Possible origins of this feature are explored in the context of a Mn induced impurity band and intervalence band transitions. From a sum rule analysis of the conductivity data the effective mass of the itinerant charge carriers is found to be at least a factor of 3 greater than what is expected for hole doped GaAs. In the ferromagnetic state a significant decrease in the effective mass is observed, demonstrating the role played by the heavy carriers in inducing ferromagnetism in this system.     

应变对两层半氢化氮化镓薄膜电磁学性质的调控机理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理模拟计算,研究了在应变作用下两层半氢化氮化镓纳米薄膜的电学和磁学性质.没有表面修饰的两层氮化镓纳米薄膜的原子结构为类石墨结构,并具有间接能隙.然而,当两层氮化镓纳米薄膜的一侧表面镓原子被氢化时,该纳米薄膜却依然保持纤锌矿结构,并且展示出铁磁性半导体特性.在应变作用下,两层半氢化氮化镓纳米薄膜的能隙可进行有效调控,并且它将会由半导体性质可转变为半金属性质或金属性质.这主要是由于应变对表面氮原子的键间交互影响和p-p轨道直接交互影响之间协调作用的结果.该研究成果为实现低维半导体纳米材料的多样化提供了有效的调控手段,为其应用于新型电子纳米器件和自旋电子器件提供重要的理论指导.     

Mixed magnetic phases in (Ga,Mn)As epilayers

Two different ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transitions are detected in (Ga,Mn)As/GaAs(001) epilayers from ac susceptibility measurements: transition at a higher temperature results from (Ga,Mn)As cluster phases with [110] uniaxial anisotropy and that at a lower temperature is associated with a ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As matrix with 100 cubic anisotropy. A change in the magnetic easy axis from [100] to [110] with increasing temperature can be explained by the reduced contribution of 100 cubic anisotropy to the magnetic properties above the transition temperature of the (Ga,Mn)As matrix.     

Band gap of carbon nanotubes under combined uniaxial–torsional strain

Within tight-binding model, the band gaps of armchair and zigzag carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under both uniaxial tensile and torsional strains have been studied. It is found that the changes in band gaps of CNTs depend strongly on the strain type. The torsional strain can induce a band gap for armchair CNTs, but it has little effect on band gap of the zigzag CNTs. While the tensile strain has great effect on band gap of zigzag CNTs, but it has no effect on that of the armchair CNTs. More importantly, when both the tensile and torsional strains are simultaneously applied to the CNTs, the band gap changes of armchair CNTs are not equal to a simple sum over those induced separately by uniaxial tensile and torsional strains. There exists a cooperative effect between two kinds of strains on band gap changes of armchair CNTs. But for zigzag CNTs, the cooperative effect was not found. Analytical expressions for the band gaps of armchair and zigzag CNTs under combined uniaxial–torsional strains have been derived, which agree well with the numerical results.     

Mn掺杂GaN稀磁半导体的电磁特性研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理平面波超软赝势法计算了不同浓度Mn掺杂GaN（Ga1-xMnxN, x=0.0625和0.1250）的晶格常数、能带结构和态密度,分析比较了掺杂前后GaN的电子结构和磁性。结果表明：Mn掺入后体系仍为直接带隙半导体,带隙宽度随Mn含量的增加逐步增大。Mn掺杂GaN均使得N 2p与Mn 3d轨道杂化,产生自旋极化杂质带,自旋向上的能带占据费米面,掺杂后的Ga1-xMnxN表现为半金属铁磁性,适合自旋注入;随着Mn掺杂浓度的增加,体系的半金属性有所增强。     

Mn掺杂GaN稀磁半导体的电磁特性研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理平面波超软赝势法计算了不同浓度Mn掺杂GaN(Ga1-xMnxN,x=0.0625和0.1250)的晶格常数、能带结构和态密度,分析比较了掺杂前后GaN的电子结构和磁性.结果表明:Mn掺入后体系仍为直接带隙半导体,带隙宽度随Mn含量的增加逐步增大.Mn掺杂GaN均使得N2p与Mn3d轨道杂化,产生自旋极化杂质带,自旋向上的能带占据费米面,掺杂后的Ga1-xMnxN表现为半金属铁磁性,适合自旋注入;随着Mn掺杂浓度的增加,体系的半金属性有所增强.     

Phase Transition and Band Structure Tuned by Strains in Al_(1/2)Ga_(1/2)N Alloy of Complex Structure

Phase transition and band structure tuned by uniaxial and biaxial strains are systematically investigated based on the density-functional theory for ordered Al_(1/2)Ga_(1/2)N alloys of complex structures.Although the structural transformations to graphite-like from wurtzite are energetically favorable for both types of strain,the phase transitions are different in nature:the second-order transition induced by uniaxial strain is jointly driven by the mechanical and dynamical instabilities and the first-order transition by biaxial strain only by the mechanical instability.The wurtzite phase always shows the direct band gap,while the band gap of the graphite-like phase is always indirect.Furthermore,the band gaps of the wurtzite phase can be reduced by both types of strain,while that of the graphite-like phase is enhanced by uniaxial strain and is suppressed by biaxial strain.     

量子局域效应和应力对GaSb纳米线电子结构影响的第一性原理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算方法, 研究了不同晶体结构和尺寸的GaSb纳米线能带结构特性和载流子的有效质量, 以及单轴应力对GaSb纳米线能带结构的调控. 研究结果表明: 闪锌矿结构[111]方向和纤锌矿结构[0001]方向的小尺寸GaSb纳米线均出现间接带隙的能带结构, 并可通过单轴应力来实现纳米线能带结构由间接带隙到直接带隙的转变, 其中, 闪锌矿结构[111]方向GaSb纳米线仅在受到单轴拉伸应力时才发生能带由间接带隙到直接带隙的转变, 而纤锌矿结构[0001]方向GaSb纳米线无论受单轴拉伸还是压缩应力的作用均可实现能带由间接带隙到直接带隙的转变; [111]和[0001]方向GaSb纳米线的带隙和载流子有效质量与纳米线直径呈非线性关系, 并随纳米线直径的减小而增大; 同一方向和尺寸的GaSb纳米线, 其空穴有效质量要小于电子有效质量, 这表明小尺寸GaSb纳米线有利于空穴载流子输运.     

单轴应变对氮化铟电子结构及光学性质的影响

采用密度泛函理论框架下的第一性原理平面波赝势方法,计算单轴应变下闪锌矿氮化铟的电子结构及光学性质.结果表明：施加应变会使带隙变窄.对于拉应变,随着应变增大带隙减小程度增大;对于压应变,随应变增大带隙减小程度减弱;且拉、压应变对带隙调控都是线性的.在能量区间4 eV~12 eV范围内施加应变时,氮化铟的吸收光谱发生红移,随拉应变程度增加,吸收光谱的红移进一步加大;随压应变增加,吸收光谱红移减弱;在该范围内,氮化铟的折射率、反射率随拉应变的增大而增加,随压应变增加减小;施加拉应变时能量损失函数峰值增大,施加压应变后能量损失函数峰值减小.通过施加单轴应变能有效调节氮化铟材料的电结构及光学性质.     

Control of magnetic anisotropy in (Ga,Mn)as by lithography-induced strain relaxation

We report control of magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial (Ga,Mn)As by anisotropic strain relaxation in patterned structures. The strain in the structures is characterized using reciprocal space mapping by x-ray techniques. The magnetic anisotropy before patterning of the layer, which shows biaxial easy axes along [100] and [010], is replaced by a hard axis in the direction of large elastic strain relaxation and a uniaxial easy axis in the direction where pseudomorphic conditions are retained.     

Strain Effects on Properties of Phosphorene and Phosphorene Nanoribbons: a DFT and Tight Binding Study

We perform comprehensive density functional theory calculations of strain effect on electronic structure of black phosphorus(BP) and on BP nanoribbons. Both uniaxial and biaxial strain are applied, and the dramatic change of BP's band structure is observed. Under 0-8% uniaxial strain, the band gap can be modulated in the range of 0.55-1.06 eV, and a direct-indirect band gap transition causes strain over 4% in the y direction. Under 0-8% biaxial strain, the band gap can be modulated in the range of 0.35-1.09 eV, and the band gap maintains directly.Applying strain to BP nanoribbon, the band gap value reduces or enlarges markedly either zigzag nanoribbon or armchair nanoribbon. Analyzing the orbital composition and using a tight-binding model we ascribe this band gap behavior to the competition between effects of different bond lengths on band gap. These results would enhance our understanding on strain effects on properties of BP and phosphorene nanoribbon.     

Versatile GaInO_3-sheet with strain-tunable electronic structure,excellent mechanical flexibility,and an ideal gap for photovoltaics

Due to many remarkable physical and chemical properties, two-dimensional(2D) nanomaterials have become a hot spot in the field of condensed matter physics. In this paper, we have studied the structural, mechanical, and electronic properties of the 2D GaInO_3 system by first-principles method. We find that 2D Ga InO_3 can exist stably at ambient condition. Molecular dynamic simulations show that GaInO_3-sheet has excellent thermal stability and is stable up to1100 K. Electronic structural calculations show that GaInO_3-sheet has a band gap of 1.56 eV, which is close to the ideal band gap of solar cell materials, demonstrating great potential in future photovoltaic application. In addition, strain effect studies show that the GaInO_3-sheet structure always exhibits a direct band gap under biaxial compressive strain, and as the biaxial compressive strain increases, the band gap gradually decreases until it is converted into metal. While biaxial tensile strain can cause the 2D material to transform from a direct band gap semiconductor into an indirect band gap semiconductor,and even to metal. Our research expands the application of the Ga InO_3 system, which may have potential application value in electronic devices and solar energy.     

THE ADSORPTION OF Ge ON GaAS(ll0)

In the present work, the chemisorption of Ge on GaAs(1lO) was studied by a cluster model using the charge self-consistent extended H ückel method (EHT) and the results thus obtained were compared with those derived from the experiments. It was shown from the calculation that after chemisorption, the substrate tends to relax back to the ideal unrelaxed state, after cleavage. The tilted angle of the As-Ga bond was reduced from the well khown 27° to 10°.The gap states which were driven into both the valence band and the conduction band due to relaxation will-be introduced into the gap after chemisorption. From the calculation of the total energy of the cluster, it was found that the Ge atom could bind to both Ga and As atoms although the binding of the latter was somewhat stronger. The gap states were derived from the p states of Ge and the s and p states of Ga and As atoms. The states will serve as donors and acceptors for p and n type materials respectively . From a comparison with the previous results concerning studies of group Ⅲ and Ⅴ metals on GaAs(110) surface, it seems that the change of surface relaxation after chemisorption might be the origin of gap states and the cause for Fermi level pinningr. The explanation was first put forward by Chen et al . from their experimental studies . The present calculation also gives the core shifts of Ga(3d) and As(3d) of the clean relaxation surfaces with respect to that of the bulk as well as the core shifts of Ga(3d) and As(3d) after the chemisorption of Ge atom. A chemisorption induced state which is attributed to a precursor state for a heterojunction interface state is also obtained at a binding energy near 7eV which is in fairly good agreement with the experimental result.     

First-Principles Studies for the Electronic Structures of Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors (Ga, Fe)As

First-principles LMTO-ASA band calculations are performed for Ga1-xFexAs (x = 1, 1/4, 1/8) by assuming supercell structures. It is found that the antiferromagnetic (AFM) state is stable for x = 1/4. For x = 1/8, ferromagnetic(FM) state is more stable than AFM state, and no stable magnetic state exists for x = 1. In both the cases the magneticmoments of As and Ga atoms are parallel to those of the nearest Fe atoms due to the p-d hybridization. Further, theband structure shows rather localized Fe 3d state in the gap, and the parallel polarization is confined rather in thevicinity of Fe site.