Magnetization-driven metal-insulator transition in strongly disordered Ge:Mn magnetic semiconductors

Abstract

We report on the temperature- and field-driven metal-insulator transition in disordered Ge:Mn magnetic semiconductors accompanied by magnetic ordering, magnetoresistance reaching thousands of percents, and suppression of the extraordinary Hall effect by a magnetic field. Magnetoresistance isotherms are shown to obey a universal scaling law with a single scaling parameter depending on temperature and fabrication. We argue that the strong magnetic disorder leads to localization of charge carriers and is the origin of the unusual properties of Ge:Mn alloys.