IMPURITY PHASE-SEPARATION IN MAGNETIC DEGENERATE SEMICONDUCTORS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO ELECTRONIC PHASE-SEPARATION

Phase separation is considered in magnetic degenerate semiconductors to which HTSCs belong. The impurity mobility is assumed to be high enough. Thus, an equilibrium impurity distribution over the crystal may occur. It may be spatially nonuniform which leads to spatially nonuniform magnetic ordering and conductivity. In particular, an antiferromagnetic crystal may be divided into regions of enhanced and reduced impurity density of which the former is ferromagnetic and the latter antiferromagnetic. In other cases the former may be antiferromagnetic with another structure or spin-disordered.