Antisite effect on hole-mediated ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As

Abstract

We study the Curie temperature and hole density of (Ga,Mn)As while systematically varying the As-antisite density. Hole compensation by As-antisites limits the Curie temperature and can completely quench long-range ferromagnetic order in the low doping regime of 1%–2% Mn. Samples are grown by molecular beam epitaxy without substrate rotation in order to smoothly vary the As to Ga flux ratio across a single wafer. This technique allows for a systematic study of the effect of As stoichiometry on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)As. For concentrations less than 1.5% Mn, a strong deviation from $T_C\propto p^{0.33}$ is observed. Our results emphasize that proper control of As-antisite compensation is critical for controlling the Curie temperatures in (Ga,Mn)As at the low doping limit.