Record-Breaking Curie Temperature Brings Ferromagnetic Semiconductors Closer to Room-Temperature Spintronics

Record-high Curie temperature in ferromagnetic semiconductor

In a major leap forward for spintronics, researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo have achieved a record-high Curie temperature (TC) of 530 K in a ferromagnetic semiconductor (FMS), significantly surpassing the performance of previous FMS materials. This achievement marks a crucial step toward the realization of practical spin-based devices that can operate well above room temperature.

The material in question—(Ga,Fe)Sb—was grown using a specialized step-flow growth method on vicinal GaAs(100) substrates. Published in Applied Physics Letters, the breakthrough demonstrates a powerful solution to a decades-long bottleneck in integrating magnetism into semiconductor-based electronics.

The Challenge: Raising the Curie Ceiling

Ferromagnetic semiconductors hold immense promise for next-generation spintronic devices, which exploit electron spin in addition to charge. However, their adoption has been limited by low Curie temperatures—temperatures above which ferromagnetism vanishes. Previous FMS materials, such as (Ga,Mn)As, were capped at ~200 K, while earlier efforts to integrate Fe into GaSb managed to raise the TC to 420 K—still insufficient for robust room-temperature operation.

The Breakthrough: A 530 K Ferromagnetic Semiconductor

Led by Prof. Pham Nam Hai, the Tokyo team overcame the crystallinity issues typically associated with high-Fe doping by deploying the step-flow growth technique on GaAs substrates angled at 10°. This method enabled them to incorporate 24% iron while maintaining excellent material quality, yielding a TC as high as 530 K—a world record for FMSs.

Spectroscopic measurements using magnetic circular dichroism confirmed the spin-polarized band structure, and Arrott plots further validated the precise ferromagnetic transition points. The material also showed a high magnetic moment of 4.5 ฮผB/atom, close to the theoretical maximum for Fe³⁺ in a zinc blende crystal structure.

Long-Term Stability and Practical Potential

In an important demonstration of real-world applicability, the team stored a 9.8 nm (Ga,Fe)Sb film in open air for 1.5 years. Even after this period, the sample retained strong ferromagnetic behavior, with TC only slightly reduced to 470 K. This long-term stability indicates excellent durability—an essential trait for commercial spintronic technologies.

A New Era for Spintronics

The implications are far-reaching. Room-temperature spintronics could revolutionize data storage, quantum computing interfaces, and energy-efficient logic circuits. This discovery paves the way for developing spin-functional semiconductor devices compatible with current electronics manufacturing techniques.

“By addressing the core limitation of low TC, we’ve demonstrated that high-performance FMSs can be both stable and scalable,” said Prof. Hai. “This is a pivotal moment for the future of spintronic technology.”

Original article source: Phys.org – "Record-high Curie temperature achieved in ferromagnetic semiconductor"

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#Spintronics #FerromagneticSemiconductors #CurieTemperature #QuantumMaterials #SemiconductorPhysics #MagneticMaterials #HighTC #GaFeSb #Nanotechnology #AppliedPhysicsLetters #QuantumServerNetworks #RoomTemperatureMagnetism #NextGenDevices

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