Mn Diffusion and Reactive Diffusion in Ge: Spintronic Applications

Abstract

In this paper, we report investigations concerning the fabrication of a diluted Ge (Mn) solution using solid state Mn diffusion, and Mn/Ge reactive diffusion for spintronic applications. The study of Mn diffusion shows that the quasi-totality of the incorporated Mn atoms occupies Ge substitutional sites and probably exhibits two negative elementary charges. The solubility limit of Mn in Ge is comprised between 0.7 and 0.9 % (T  600 °C). We show that substitutional Mn atoms are not ferromagnetic in Ge and consequently that Ge (Mn) diluted magnetic semiconductor can not be produced. Beside the ferromagnetic signal from Mn5Ge3, ferromagnetic signals detected in the samples could be always attributed to surface or bulk Mn-Ge clusters. Furthermore, we show that the CMOS Salicide process is potentially applicable to Mn5Ge3 nanolayer fabrication on Ge for spintronic applications. During Mn (thin-film)/Ge reaction, Mn5Ge3 is the first phase to form, being thermally stable up to 310 °C and exhibiting ferromagnetic properties up to TC ~ 300 K.