Above-room-temperature ferromagnetism in GaSb/Mn digital alloys

Digital alloys of GaSb/Mn have been fabricated by molecular-beam epitaxy. Transmission electron micrographs showed good crystal quality with individual Mn-containing layers well resolved, no evidence of three-dimensional MnSb precipitates was seen in as-grown samples. All samples studied exhibited ferromagnetism with temperature-dependent hysteresis loops in the magnetization accompanied by metallic p-type conductivity with a strong anomalous Hall effect (AHE) up to 400 K (limited by the experimental setup). The anomalous Hall effect shows hysteresis loops at low temperatures and above room temperature very similar to those seen in the magnetization. The strong AHE with hysteresis indicates that the holes interact with the Mn spins above room temperature. All samples are metallic, which is important for spintronics applications. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.