Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Measurement of Coherence Decay in GaMnAs Using Femtosecond Four-wave Mixing
Published on: December 3, 2013
Diffusion of interstitial Mn in the dilute magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As: the effect of a charge state
V I Baykov1, P A Korzhavyi, B Johansson
1Applied Materials Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Migration barriers for diffusion of interstitial Mn in the dilute magnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As are studied using first-principles calculations. The diffusion pathway goes through two types of interstitial sites: As coordinated and Ga coordinated. The energy profile along the path is found to depend on the ratio of concentrations between substitutional and interstitial Mn in GaAs. Two regions of distinctly different behavior, corresponding to n-type and p-type (Ga,Mn)As, are identified. The difference in mobility is a reflection of the change in the charge state of Mn interstitials (double donors) that occurs in the presence of substitutional Mn impurities (acceptors). In addition, substitutional Mn impurities are shown to act as traps for interstitial Mn. The effective migration barrier for the positively doubly charged Mn interstitials in p-type (Ga,Mn)As is estimated to vary from 0.55 to about 0.95 eV.
Related Concept Videos
Semiconductors
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The semiconductor's...
Diamagnetism
Diamagnetism was discovered by Anton Brugmans in 1778 when he observed that bismuth gets repelled by magnetic fields, thus theorizing that diamagnets get repelled by magnets.
Carrier Transport
Drift Current:
The drift of charge carriers is started by an external electric field (E). Charged particles, such as electrons and holes, experience an acceleration between collisions with lattice atoms. For electrons, this results in a drift velocity (vd) given by:
P-N junction
Ferromagnetism
