Element-resolved orbital polarization in (III,Mn)As ferromagnetic semiconductors from<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi>K</mml:mi></mml:math>-edge x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Abstract

Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), we determine the element-specific character and polarization of unoccupied states near the Fermi level in (Ga,Mn)As and (In,Ga,Mn)As thin films. The XMCD at the $\text{As}\text{ }K$ absorption edge consists of a single peak located on the low-energy side of the edge, which increases with the concentration of ferromagnetic Mn moments. The XMCD at the $\text{Mn}\text{ }K$ edge is more detailed and is strongly concentration dependent, which is interpreted as a signature of hole localization for low Mn doping. The results indicate a markedly different character of the polarized holes in low-doped insulating and high-doped metallic films, with a transfer of the hole orbital magnetic moment from Mn to As sites on crossing the metal-insulator transition.