Diluted magnetic semiconductors with high Curie temperature based on C1b compounds:: CoTi1-xFexSb

Diluted magnetic semiconductors were prepared by substituting titanium in the semiconducting compound CoTiSb with iron. The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of the pure and doped materials were investigated. It was found that substitution of up to 10% Ti by Fe does not affect the crystalline structure. Self-consistent calculations of the electronic structure predict the material to be a half-metallic ferromagnet. The Curie temperature of the Fe substituted alloy is far above room temperature (>700 K), thus making that material a serious candidate for future electronic applications, in particular, for magnetoelectronics and spintronics. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.