Ferromagnetic GaN-Cr nanowires

Using first-principles theory, we predict ferromagnetism in Cr-doped GaN nanowires irrespective of the sites that the Cr atoms occupy. This is in contrast to Mn-doped GaN nanowires in which the magnetic coupling between the Mn atoms is sensitive to the Mn-Mn and Mn-N distances, although the ground state of Mn-doped GaN nanowires is ferromagnetic. Each Cr atom carries a magnetic moment of about 2.5 mu(B). The magnetic moment at the N site, however, is small and is aligned antiferromagnetically to the moments at the Cr atom. The magnetization axis is perpendicular to the axis of the wire, but the anisotropy energy is rather small. The easy solubility of Cr in GaN and the lack of sensitivity of ferromagnetic coupling to Cr distribution suggest that Cr-doped GaN nanowires may be a more suitable system for applications in spintronics than Mn-doped GaN nanowires.