Interface properties of the NiMnSb/InP and NiMnSb/GaAs contacts

Abstract

We study the electronic and magnetic properties of the interfaces between the half-metallic Heusler alloy NiMnSb and the binary semiconductors InP and GaAs using two different state-of-the-art full-potential \textit{ab-initio} electronic structure methods. Although in the case of most NiMnSb/InP(001) contacts the half-metallicity is lost, it is possible to keep a high degree of spin-polarization when the interface is made up by Ni and P layers. In the case of the GaAs semiconductor the larger hybridization between the Ni-$d$ and As-$p$ orbitals with respect to the hybridization between the Ni-$d$ and P-$p$ orbitals destroys this polarization. The (111) interfaces present strong interface states but also in this case there are few interfaces presenting a high spin-polarization at the Fermi level which can reach values up to 74%.

arXiv comment9 pages, 9 figures

References in corpus (12)

• Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications
• Slater-Pauling Behavior of the Half-Ferromagnetic Full-Heusler Alloys
• Basic obstacle for electrical spin-injection from a ferromagnetic metal into a diffusive semiconductor
• Origin and Properties of the Gap in the Half-Ferromagnetic Heusler Alloys
• Surface Properties of the Half- and Full-Heusler Alloys
• Orbital magnetism in the half-metallic Heusler alloys
• The effect of the spin-orbit interaction on the band gap of half-metals
• Ballistic Spin Injection from Fe(001) into ZnSe and GaAs
• Ballistic Spin Injection and Detection in Fe/Semiconductor/Fe Junctions
• Towards half-metallic interfaces: the Co${}_2$CrAl/InP contacts
• Structural and magnetic properties of the (001) and (111) surfaces of the half-metal NiMnSb
• Electronic and magnetic properties of the (111) surfaces of NiMnSb

Cited by in corpus (18)

• Introduction to half-metallic Heusler alloys: Electronic Structure and Magnetic Properties
• Exchange interactions and temperature dependence of the magnetization in half--metallic Heusler alloys
• Role of the conduction electrons in mediating exchange interactions in Heusler alloys
• Spin-polarization and electronic properties of half-metallic Heusler alloys calculated from first-principles
• Search for half-metallic ferrimagnetism in V-based Heusler alloys Mn${}_2$VZ (Z$=$Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn)
• Thermal collapse of spin-polarization in half-metallic ferromagnets
• Half-metallic ferromagnets for magnetic tunnel junctions
• Doping and disorder in the Co${}_2$MnAl and Co${}_2$MnGa half-metallic Heusler alloys
• A review of the electronic and magnetic properties of tetrahedrally bonded half-metallic ferromagnets
• Crossover from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic ordering in semi-Heusler alloys Cu1-xNixMnSb with increasing Ni concentration
• Engineering the electronic, magnetic and gap-related properties of the quinternary half-metallic Heusler alloys
• Ab-initio determined electronic and magnetic properties of half-metallic NiCrSi and NiMnSi Heusler alloys; the role of interfaces and defects
• Ferrimagnetism and antiferromagnetism in half-metallic Heusler alloys
• Magnetic phase diagram of the semi-Heusler alloys from first-principles
• The fate of half-metallicity near interfaces: the case of NiMnSb/MgO and NiMnSi/MgO
• Revealing the nature of magnetic phases in the semi-Heusler alloy Cu0.85Ni0.15MnSb
• Scanning tunneling microscopy of surfaces of half-metals: an ab-initio study on NiMnSb(001)
• Role of defects and disorder in the half-metallic full-Heusler compounds