Enhanced carrier-mediated ferromagnetism in GaMnN by codoping of Mg

Abstract

The effects of Mg codoping on the structural, electronic transport, and magnetic properties of GaMnN films are investigated. Mg was shown to compete with Mn for incorporation into the growing films at impingement, and to replace Mn. The partial replacement of Mn by Mg in GaMnN has resulted in an increase of conductivity of the region. The enhanced transport property due to the highly efficient dopant Mg resulted in a remarkable increase of the saturation magnetization, indicating an interaction between Mn and Mg for the carrier-mediated ferromagnetism. The increased carrier population by Mg codoping enabled a full mediation among the Mn atoms, and consequently, suppressed the paramagnetic rise in the temperature-dependent magnetization measurement.