Room Temperature Ferromagnetic, Anisotropic, Germanium Rich FeGe(001) Alloys
by
George A. Lungu, Nicoleta G. Apostol, Laura E. Stoflea, Ruxandra M. Costescu, Dana G. Popescu and Cristian M. Teodorescu *
George A. Lungu, Nicoleta G. Apostol, Laura E. Stoflea, Ruxandra M. Costescu, Dana G. Popescu and Cristian M. Teodorescu *
National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 105b, P.O. Box MG-7, Magurele-Ilfov 077125, Romania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2013, 6(2), 612-625; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma6020612
Received: 4 December 2012 / Revised: 30 January 2013 / Accepted: 31 January 2013 / Published: 21 February 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Compound Semiconductor Materials)
Ferromagnetic FexGe1−x with x = 2%–9% are obtained by Fe deposition onto Ge(001) at high temperatures (500 °C). Low energy electron diffraction (LEED) investigation evidenced the preservation of the (1 × 1) surface structure of Ge(001) with Fe deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) at Ge 3d and Fe 2p core levels evidenced strong Fe diffusion into the Ge substrate and formation of Ge-rich compounds, from FeGe3 to approximately FeGe2, depending on the amount of Fe deposited. Room temperature magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) evidenced ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature, with about 0.1 Bohr magnetons per Fe atom, and also a clear uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with the in-plane easy magnetization axis. This compound is a good candidate for promising applications in the field of semiconductor spintronics.
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Keywords:
metal-semiconductor compounds; spintronics; surface magnetism; molecular beam epitaxy; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; magneto-optical Kerr effect
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MDPI and ACS Style
Lungu, G.A.; Apostol, N.G.; Stoflea, L.E.; Costescu, R.M.; Popescu, D.G.; Teodorescu, C.M. Room Temperature Ferromagnetic, Anisotropic, Germanium Rich FeGe(001) Alloys. Materials 2013, 6, 612-625.
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