Ferromagnetism in (In,Mn)As Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Thin Films Grown by Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy

In1−xMnxAs diluted magnetic semiconductor thin films have been grown using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Tricarbonyl(methylcyclopentadienyl)manganese was used as the Mn source. Nominally single-phase, epitaxial films were achieved with Mn content as high as x=0.14 using growth temperatures Tg⩾475 °C. For lower growth temperatures and higher Mn concentrations, nanometer scale MnAs precipitates were detected within the In1−xMnxAs matrix. Magnetic properties of the films were investigated using a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. Room-temperature ferromagnetic order was observed in a sample with x=0.1. Magnetization measurements indicated a Curie temperature of 333 K and a room-temperature saturation magnetization of 49 emu/cm3. The remnant magnetization and the coercive field were small, with values of 10 emu/cm3 and 400 Oe, respectively. A mechanism for this high-temperature ferromagnetism is discussed in light of the recent theory based on the formation of small clusters of a f...