Effect of interfacial defects on the electronic and magnetic properties of epitaxial CrAs/InAs and CrAs/CdSe half-metallic multilayers

We present an extended study of single impurity atoms at the interface between the half-metallic ferromagnetic zinc-blende CrAs compound and the zinc-blende binary InAs and CdSe semiconductors in the form of very thin multilayers. Contrary to the case of impurities in the perfect bulk CrAs studied in Galanakis and Pouliasis [J. Magn. Magn. Mater. 321 (2009) 1084] defects at the interfaces do not alter in general the half-metallic character of the perfect systems. The only exception are Void impurities at Cr or In(Cd) sites which lead, due to the lower-dimensionality of the interfaces with respect to the bulk CrAs, to a shift of the p bands of the nearest neighboring As(Se) atom to higher energies and thus to the loss of the half-metallicity. But Void impurities are Schottky-type and should exhibit high formation energies and thus we expect the interfaces in the case of thin multilayers to exhibit a robust half-metallic character.     

Defects-driven appearance of half-metallic ferrimagnetism in Co-Mn-based Heusler alloys

Half-metallic ferromagnetic full-Heusler alloys containing Co and Mn, having the formula Co₂MnZ where Z is a sp element, are among the most studied Heusler alloys due to their stable ferromagnetism and the high Curie temperatures which they present. Using state-of-the-art electronic structure calculations we show that when Mn atoms migrate to sites occupied in the perfect alloys by Co, these Mn atoms have spin moments antiparallel to the other transition metal atoms. The ferrimagnetic compounds, which result from this procedure, keep the half-metallic character of the parent compounds and the large exchange-splitting of the Mn impurities atoms only marginally affects the width of the gap in the minority-spin band. The case of [Co_1−xMn_x]₂MnSi is of particular interest since Mn₃Si is known to crystallize in the Heusler L2₁ lattice structure of Co₂MnZ compounds. Robust half-metallic ferrimagnets are highly desirable for realistic applications since they lead to smaller energy losses due to the lower external magnetic fields created with respect to their ferromagnetic counterparts.     

Ab-initio investigation of electronic properties and magnetism of half-Heusler alloys XCrAl (X=Fe, Co, Ni) and NiCrZ (Z=Al, Ga, In)

The electronic structures and magnetism of the half-Heusler alloys XCrAl (X=Fe, Co, Ni) and NiCrZ (Z=Al, Ga, In) have been investigated to search for new candidate half-metallic materials. Here, we predict that NiCrAl, and NiCrGa and NiCrIn are possible half-metals with an energy gap in the minority spin and a completely spin polarization at the Fermi level. The energy gap can be attributed to the covalent hybridization between the d states of the Ni and Cr atoms, which leads to the formation of bonding and antibonding peaks with a gap in between them. Their total magnetic moments are 1μ_B per unit cell; agree with the Slater-Pauling rule. The partial moment of Cr is largest in NiCrZ alloys and moments of Ni and Al are in antiferromagnetic alignment with Cr. Meanwhile, it is also found that FeCrAl is a normal ferromagnetic metal with a magnetic moment of 0.25μ_B per unit cell and CoCrAl is a semi-metal and non-magnetic.     

Cr掺杂浓度对AlN半金属性影响的第一性原理研究

本文基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法, 在广义梯度近似(GGA)下计算了掺杂过渡金属Cr原子后AlN晶体自旋极化的能带结构、分态密度等性质. 结果表明, 半金属能隙随着掺杂浓度的增大而减小. 文中以掺杂浓度为12.5%的Cr-AlN(2×2×1)为例, 分析了其自旋极化的能带结构、分态密度和磁矩等性质, 发现Cr-3d电子对自旋向下子带导带底的能量位置起决定作用. 随着掺杂浓度的增大, Cr原子间相互作用增强, Cr-3d能带向两边展宽, 导致自旋向下子带导带底的能量位置下降, 从而半金属能隙变窄.     

Cr掺杂浓度对AlN半金属性影响的第一性原理研究

本文基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法, 在广义梯度近似(GGA)下计算了掺杂过渡金属Cr原子后AlN晶体自旋极化的能带结构、分态密度等性质. 结果表明, 半金属能隙随着掺杂浓度的增大而减小. 文中以掺杂浓度为12.5%的Cr-AlN(2×2×1)为例, 分析了其自旋极化的能带结构、分态密度和磁矩等性质, 发现Cr-3d电子对自旋向下子带导带底的能量位置起决定作用. 随着掺杂浓度的增大, Cr原子间相互作用增强, Cr-3d能带向两边展宽, 导致自旋向下子带导带底的能量位置下降, 从而半金属能隙变窄.     

Doping in silicon nanocrystals: An ab initio study of the structural, electronic and optical properties

There are experimental evidences that doping control at the nanoscale can significantly modify the optical properties with respect to the pure systems. This is the case of silicon nanocrystals (Si-nc), for which it has been shown that the photoluminescence (PL) peak can be tuned also below the bulk Si band gap by properly controlling the impurities, for example by boron (B) and phosphorus (P) codoping. In this work, we report on an ab initio study of impurity states in Si-nc. We consider B and P substitutional impurities for Si-nc with a diameter up to 2.2 nm. Formation energies (FEs), electronic, optical and structural properties have been determined as a function of the cluster dimension. For both B-doped and P-doped Si-nc the FE increases on decreasing the dimension, showing that the substitutional doping gets progressively more difficult for the smaller nanocrystals. Moreover, subsurface impurity positions result to be the most stable ones. The codoping reduces the FE strongly favoring this process with respect to the simple n-doping or p-doping. Such an effect can be attributed to charge compensation between the donor and the acceptor atoms. Moreover, smaller structural deformations, with respect to n-doped and p-doped cases, localized only around the impurity sites are observed. The band gap and the optical threshold are largely reduced with respect to the undoped Si-nc showing the possibility of an impurity-based engineering of the Si-nc PL properties.     

Magnetism without magnetic ions in non-magnetic perovskites SrTiO3, SrZrO3 and SrSnO3

Using the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) method with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange-correlation potential, we studied spin polarization induced by replacement of oxygen atoms by non-magnetic 2p impurities (B, C and N) in non-magnetic cubic SrMO₃ perovskites, where M=Ti, Zr and Sn. The results show that the magnetization may appear because of the spin–split impurity bands inside the energy gap of the insulating SrMO₃ matrix. Large magnetic moments are found for the impurity centers. Smaller magnetic moments are induced on the oxygen atoms around impurities. It is shown that SrTiO₃:C and SrSnO₃:C should be magnetic semiconductors while other compounds in this series (SrTiO₃:B, SrTiO₃:N and SrZrO₃:C) are expected to exhibit magnetic half-metallic or pseudo-half-metallic properties.     

Mn-stabilized zirconia: from imitation diamonds to a new potential high-Tc ferromagnetic spintronics material

From the basis of ab initio electronic structure calculations which include the effects of thermally excited magnetic fluctuations, we predict Mn-stabilized cubic zirconia to be ferromagnetic above 500 K. We find this material, which is well known both as an imitation diamond and as a catalyst, to be half-metallic with the majority and minority spin Mn impurity states lying in zirconia's wide gap. The Mn concentration can exceed 40%. The high-Tc ferromagnetism is robust to oxygen vacancy defects and to how the Mn impurities are distributed on the Zr fcc sublattice. We propose this ceramic as a promising future spintronics material.     

Cu、Ag和Au掺杂AlN的电磁性质的第一性原理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论（DFT）的平面波超软赝势法,研究了Cu、Ag、Au掺杂AlN的晶格常数、磁矩、能带结构和态密度。电子结构表明,Cu、Ag、Au的掺杂使在带隙中引入了由杂质原子的d态与近邻N原子的2p态杂化而成的杂质带,都为p型掺杂,增强了体系的导电性。Cu掺杂AlN具有半金属铁磁性,半金属能隙为0.442eV,理论上可实现100%的自旋载流子注入;Ag掺杂AlN具有很弱的半金属铁磁性;而Au掺杂AlN不具有半金属铁磁性。因此,与Ag、Au相比,Cu更适合用来制作AlN基稀磁半导体。     

Heusler合金Co2CrGa(1 0 0)的表面结构、磁性和自旋极化

基于第一性原理计算,我们系统地呈现了三元合金Co2CrGa (100)表面的原子弛豫、磁性、电子结构以及表面原子极化行为。结果显示,由于Co-Ga和Co-Cr成键的差异,表面的Co和Cr原子分别向内层收缩和向外部真空层伸展。与块体相比较,表面Co和Cr原子的自旋磁矩由于局域性的提升而明显增大。在研究的Co2CrGa(100)不同原子端面中,可以观察到块体中的半金属带隙在CoCo和GaGa原子端面被大量的表面态所破坏,仅仅在CrGa和CrCr原子覆盖的端面,检测到100%的理想极化,预测其在隧道结中可能具有较佳的应用潜力。     

三元化合物ZnCrS2电子结构和半金属铁磁性的第一性原理研究

以闪锌矿相的ZnS 2×2×1超原胞为基础,通过将其中的Zn用Cr按1∶1配比进行了a和b两种不同位置的替换构造出了三元化合物ZnCrS₂ 理论模型,然后采用基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的平面波超软赝势(PWPP)方法分别计算了两种不同模型ZnCrS₂的电子结构和磁学性质. 结果表明,两种模型的ZnCrS₂的铁磁态都比反铁磁态更稳定,均是半金属铁磁体(半金属能隙分别为0.9631 eV和0.7556 eV), 其中a位替换不但具有较大的半金属 关键词： 2')" href="#">ZnCrS₂ 电子结构 半金属铁磁性 第一性原理     

Origin of ferromagnetism via hole doping in SnO2: First-principles calculation

First-principles calculations are carried out in order to find the ferromagnetism dependence on the number of holes substituted for Sn sites. The results show that strong localization of defect states of the p bands of the oxygen atoms near the dopants favors high-spin states and local moment formation. These states appear to be ferromagnetically coupled with a rather long-range magnetic interaction, resulting in a half-metallic ferromagnetic ground state for the whole systems. Analysis of the total energies indicates that the induced well-confined ferromagnetism in the oxygen p orbitals due to hole doping is quite possible and easily controlled in these systems, which indicate a new way to develop a half-metallic ferromagnet in nonmagnetic d⁰ oxides.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of V- and Cr-doped zinc-blende AlN

The electronic and magnetic properties of the zinc-blende aluminum nitride doped with V and Cr are studied using the density functional theory (DFT), namely the KKR-CPA-PBE method. Pure AlN is found to be a wide band gap semiconductor, and doping V and Cr single impurities generate ferromagnetic half-metallic behavior. Moreover, the values of the formation energy reveal that these compounds are stable systems for all dopant concentrations. A self-consistent energy minimization scheme determines the ferromagnetic state as the stable magnetic state for V- and Cr-doping AlN. A double exchange mechanism is identified as the mechanism responsible for magnetism in our systems. When increasing doping impurities, the total magnetic moments increase linearly and the Curie temperature T_C, calculated using the mean-field approximation, shows a significant change. The present findings reveal Cr- and V-doped zinc-blende AlN as potential candidates for high Curie temperature ferromagnetic materials.     

Hydrogen impurities and μSR in ferromagnetic Ni: A self-consistent calculation

We present the first spin-polarized band calculation for hydrogen impurities in ferromagnetic Ni. A set of impurity states is split off from the bottom of the Ni conduction bands. The impurities are effectively screened, and one electron per impurity is filled in states above the pure Ni Fermi energy. The work function is raised by hydrogenation, and the magnetic moment of the Ni atoms surrounding the impurity is reduced. The contact spin density at the impurity compares favourably with μSR data.     

A first-principles study on the lower-valence coexisting Cr2TiX (X=Al, Ga, Si, Ge, Sn, Sb) Heusler alloys

The electronic, magnetic, and bonding properties of the Cr₂TiX (X=Al, Ga, Si, Ge, Sn, Sb) Heusler alloys have been investigated using first-principles calculations. The results show that Cr₂TiSb exhibits a half-metallic nature and Cr₂TiGa and Cr₂TiSn exhibit a nearly half-metallic nature. From analysis of the density of states and the electron density difference along the Ga→Sn→Sb series for sp atoms, we found that the Cr-Ti bond demonstrates covalent character with more or less the ionic and metallic nature. In addition, the Cr-Ti bonding strength increases along this series. All the compounds have a negative total magnetic moment, most of which are confined to the Cr atoms. There exists a 1.0μ_B increasing trend of the total moment along the III→IV→V main group for sp atoms, and only the total moment of Cr₂TiSb coincides well with the Slater-Pauling behavior.     

Multiband tight-binding model of local magnetism in Ga1-xMnxAs

We present the spin and orbitally resolved local density of states (LDOS) for a single Mn impurity and for two nearby Mn impurities in GaAs. The GaAs host is described by a sp(3) tight-binding Hamiltonian, and the Mn impurity is described by a local p-d hybridization and on-site potential. Local spin-polarized resonances within the valence bands significantly enhance the LDOS near the band edge. For two nearby parallel Mn moments the acceptor states hybridize and split in energy. Thus scanning tunneling spectroscopy can directly measure the Mn-Mn interaction as a function of distance.     

Defects in hexagonal-AlN sheets by first-principles calculations

Theoretical calculations focused on the stability of an infinite hexagonal AlN (h-AlN)sheet and its structural and electronic properties were carried out within the frameworkof DFT at the GGA-PBE level of theory. For the simulations, an h-AlN sheet model systemconsisting in 96 atoms per super-cell has been adopted. For h-AlN, we predict an Al-N bondlength of 1.82 Å and an indirect gap of 2.81 eV as well as a cohesive energy which is by6% lower than that of the bulk (wurtzite) AlN which can be seen as a qualitativeindication for synthesizability of individual h-AlN sheets. Besides the study of a perfecth-AlN sheet, also the most typical defects, namely, vacancies, anti-site defects andimpurities were also explored. The formation energies for these defects were calculatedtogether with the total density of states and the corresponding projected states were alsoevaluated. The charge density in the region of the defects was also addressed.Energetically, the anti-site defects are the most costly, while the impurity defects arethe most favorable, especially so for the defects arising from Si impurities. Defects suchas nitrogen vacancies and Si impurities lead to a breaking of the planar shape of theh-AlN sheet and in some cases to the formation of new bonds. The defects significantlychange the band structure in the vicinity of the Fermi level in comparison to the bandstructure of the perfect h-AlN which can be used for deliberately tailoring the electronicproperties of individual h-AlN sheets.     

The Formation of Defect Complexes in a ZnO Grain Boundary

The microscopic properties a ZnO grain boundary containing extrinsic point defects are studied using a density functional computational approach. The results show that the grain boundary acts as a sink for native defects, such as the zinc vacancy and the oxygen interstitial, and also for bismuth substitutional impurities. The defects tend to accumulate at under-coordinated sites in the boundary core and prefer to form small clusters. In particular the segregation of Bi promotes the formation of the other native defects by lowering their formation energies in the boundary. Individually, the native defects and the Bi impurity do not produce deep interface states in the band gap which are electrically active. However, when the defects cluster to form a Bi_Zn-V_Zn-O_i complex, new gap states are created of acceptor type. It is suggested that these new states are caused by defect interactions which compensate one another resulting in the depletion of an occupied impurity state and new bond formation. The results are discussed in terms of the Schottky barrier model commonly used to describe the electrical characteristics of ZnO varistors.     

First-principles study of manganese-stabilized hafnia

We present a first-principles study of the electronic and magnetic properties of cubic hafnium dioxide stabilized by Mn. We find this material to be ferromagnetic and half-metallic, with the Mn-impurity electronic states lying in the band gap of hafnia for a wide range of manganese concentration. Our ab initio calculations, within the local spin-density approximation, demonstrate that Mn-doped hafnia may be ferromagnetic at 700 K while its high-T_C ferromagnetism is robust to the oxygen vacancy defects and to how the Mn impurities are distributed over the cation sublattice.     

Theoretical investigations of half-metallic ferromagnetism in new Half-Heusler YCrSb and YMnSb alloys using first-principle calculations

Structural,electronic,and magnetic properties of new predicted half-Heusler YCrSb and YMnSb compounds within the ordered MgAgAs Clb-type structure are investigated by employing first-principal calculations based on density functional theory.Through the calculated total energies of three possible atomic placements,we find the most stable structures regarding YCrSb and YMnSb materials,where Y,Cr(Mn),and Sb atoms occupy the(0.5,0.5,0.5),(0.25,0.25,0.25),and(0,0,0) positions,respectively.Furthermore,structural properties are explored for the non-magnetic and ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic states and it is found that both materials prefer ferromagnetic states.The electronic band structure shows that YCrSb has a direct band gap of 0.78 eV while YMnSb has an indirect band gap of 0.40 eV in the majority spin channel.Our findings show that YCrSb and YMnSb materials exhibit half-metallic characteristics at their optimized lattice constants of 6.67  and 6.56 ,respectively.The half-metallicities associated with YCrSb and YMnSb are found to be robust under large in-plane strains which make them potential contenders for spintronic applications.