First principles studies of GeTe based dilute magnetic semiconductors.

The electronic structure and magnetic properties of GeTe-based dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMS) are investigated by the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green's function method and the projector augmented wave method. Our calculations for the formation energies of transition metal impurities (TM) in GeTe indicate that the solubilities of TM are quite high compared to typical III-V and II-VI based DMS and that the TM doped GeTe has a possibility of room temperature ferromagnetism with high impurity concentrations. The high solubilities originate from the fact that the top of the valence bands of GeTe consists of the Te-5p anti-bonding states which are favorable to acceptor doping. (Ge, Cr)Te system shows strong ferromagnetic interaction by the double exchange mechanism and is a good candidate for DMS with high Curie temperature. Additionally, in the case of (Ge, Mn)Te with the d(5) configuration, by introducing the Ge vacancies the p-d exchange interaction is activated and it dominates the antiferromagnetic superexchange, resulting in ferromagnetic exchange interactions between Mn. This explains recent experimental results reasonably. Based on the accurate estimation of the Curie temperatures by Monte Carlo simulation for the classical Heisenberg model with the calculated exchange coupling constants, we discuss the relevance of the TM doped GeTe for semiconductor spintronics.

Hubbard U calculations for gap states in dilute magnetic semiconductors.

On the basis of constrained density functional theory, we present ab initio calculations for the Hubbard U parameter of transition metal impurities in dilute magnetic semiconductors, choosing Mn in GaN as an example. The calculations are performed by two methods: (i) the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) Green function method for a single Mn impurity in GaN and (ii) the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave (FLAPW) method for a large supercell of GaN with a single Mn impurity in each cell. By changing the occupancy of the majority t2 gap state of Mn, we determine the U parameter either from the total energy differences E(N + 1) and E(N - 1) of the (N ± 1)-electron excited states with respect to the ground state energy E(N), or by using the single-particle energies for n(0) ± 1/2 occupancies around the charge-neutral occupancy n0 (Janak's transition state model). The two methods give nearly identical results. Moreover the values calculated by the supercell method agree quite well with the Green function values. We point out an important difference between the 'global' U parameter calculated using Janak's theorem and the 'local' U of the Hubbard model.

Role of vacancies in metal-insulator transitions of crystalline phase-change materials.

The study of metal-insulator transitions (MITs) in crystalline solids is a subject of paramount importance, both from the fundamental point of view and for its relevance to the transport properties of materials. Recently, a MIT governed by disorder was observed in crystalline phase-change materials. Here we report on calculations employing density functional theory, which identify the microscopic mechanism that localizes the wavefunctions and is driving this transition. We show that, in the insulating phase, the electronic states responsible for charge transport are localized inside regions having large vacancy concentrations. The transition to the metallic state is driven by the dissolution of these vacancy clusters and the formation of ordered vacancy layers. These results provide important insights on controlling the wavefunction localization, which should help to develop conceptually new devices based on multiple resistance states.

Kondo decoherence: finding the right spin model for iron impurities in gold and silver.

We exploit the decoherence of electrons due to magnetic impurities, studied via weak localization, to resolve a long-standing question concerning the classic Kondo systems of Fe impurities in the noble metals gold and silver: which Kondo-type model yields a realistic description of the relevant multiple bands, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom? Previous studies suggest a fully screened spin S Kondo model, but the value of S remained ambiguous. We perform density functional theory calculations that suggest S=3/2. We also compare previous and new measurements of both the resistivity and decoherence rate in quasi-one-dimensional wires to numerical renormalization group predictions for S=1/2, 1, and 3/2, finding excellent agreement for S=3/2.

Controlling the magnetization direction in molecules via their oxidation state.

By means of ab initio calculations we predict that it is possible to manipulate the magnetization direction in organic magnetic molecules by changing their oxidation state. We demonstrate this novel effect on the Eu2(C8H8)3 molecule, in which the hybridization of the outer pi ring states with the Eu 4f states causes a redistribution of the orbitals around the Fermi level leading to a strong ferromagnetism due to a hole-mediated exchange mechanism. As a key result, we predict an oscillatory behavior of the easy axis of the magnetization as a function of the oxidation state of the molecule-a new effect, which could lead to new technological applications.

Using half-metallic manganite interfaces to reveal insights into spintronics.

A half-metal has been defined as a material with propagating electron states at the Fermi energy only for one of the two possible spin projections, and as such has been promoted as an interesting research direction for spin electronics. This review details recent advances on manganite thin film research within the field of spintronics, before presenting the structural, electronic and spin-polarized solid-state tunnelling transport studies that we have performed on heterostructures involving La(2/3)Sr(1/3)MnO(3) thin films separated by SrTiO(3) barriers. These experiments demonstrate that, with a polarization of spin [Formula: see text] electrons at the Fermi level that can reach 99%, the La(2/3)Sr(1/3)MnO(3)/SrTiO(3) interface for all practical purposes exhibits half-metallic behaviour. We offer insight into the electronic structure of the interface, including the electronic symmetry of any remaining spin [Formula: see text] states at the Fermi level. Finally, we present experiments that use the experimental half-metallic property of manganites as tools to reveal novel features of spintronics.

Half-metallic alloys: electronic structure, magnetism and spin polarization.

Using the state-of-the-art screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green function method we study the electronic and magnetic properties of NiMnSb and similar Heusler alloys. We show that all these compounds are half-metals, e.g. the minority-spin band is semiconducting and the Fermi level falls within this gap resulting in 100% spin polarization at the Fermi level. The total spin moment M(t) shows the so-called Slater-Pauling behaviour and scales with the total valence charge Z(t) following the rule M(t) = Z(t) - 18 for half and M(t) = Z(t) - 24 for full Heusler alloys. These rules are connected to the origin of the gap. Finally we show that the inclusion of the spin-orbit interaction in our calculations kills the half-metallic gap but the spin-polarization at the Fermi level can be still very high, approximately 99% for NiMnSb, but much lower for a half-metallic compound like zinc-blende MnBi (77%).

Giant magnetic anisotropy of single cobalt atoms and nanoparticles.

The isotropic magnetic moment of a free atom is shown to develop giant magnetic anisotropy energy due to symmetry reduction at an atomically ordered surface. Single cobalt atoms deposited onto platinum (111) are found to have a magnetic anisotropy energy of 9 millielectron volts per atom arising from the combination of unquenched orbital moments (1.1 Bohr magnetons) and strong spin-orbit coupling induced by the platinum substrate. By assembling cobalt nanoparticles containing up to 40 atoms, the magnetic anisotropy energy is further shown to be dependent on single-atom coordination changes. These results confirm theoretical predictions and are of fundamental value to understanding how magnetic anisotropy develops in finite-sized magnetic particles.

Strongly enhanced orbital moments and anisotropies of adatoms on the Ag(001) surface.

We present ab initio calculations for orbital moments and anisotropy energies of 3d and 5d adatoms on the Ag(001) surface, based on density functional theory, including Brooks' orbital polarization (OP) term, and applying a fully relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker-Green's function method. In general, we find unusually large orbital moments and anisotropy energies, e.g., in the 3d series, 2.57 mu(B) and +74 meV for Co, and, in the 5d series, 1.78 mu(B) and +42 meV for Os. These magnetic properties are determined mainly by the OP and even exist without spin-orbit coupling.