Polycrystalline Zn1-xCrxTe samples for x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.18, and 0.20 were synthesized by solid-state reaction, and their physical properties were studied for the purpose of identifying a novel non-oxide transparent diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS). Their transport properties exhibit semiconducting behavior for low Cr concentrations and become conductors for higher Cr concentration concentrations. Ferromagnetic behavior was observed in Cr-doped ZnTe with Curie temperature Tc increasing as Cr concentration increases. At x = 0.20 Cr concentration, the system has Tc above room temperature, indicating an interesting II-VI ferromagnetic semiconductor. Furthermore, optical transparency in the visible light range was found to be 30-85 % for different Cr concentration concentrations. Also, according to the electrical transport measurement data in this study, the resistivity doesn't exhibit any significant change as the temperature increases for x = 0.20. This consistent resistivity exhibits a possible candidacy for further studies of the sample Zn0.80Cr0.20Te for half-metallic ferromagnetic properties.
- Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor (DMS),
- Half Metallic Ferromagnetism,
- Non-Oxide Transparent Conductor,
- Room Temperature Ferromagnetism,
- Transition Metal Dichalcogenide (TMD),
- ZnCrTe
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/julia-medvedeva/88/
The work was supported in part by a grant from NSF DMR-1255607.