Local Structure and Valence State of Mn in Ga1-xMnxN Epilayers

International audienceMn has been incorporated in epilayers of the large-gap semiconductor GaN grown by molecular beam epitaxy using a nitrogen plasma cell. Detailed extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies of a Ga0:98Mn0:02N epilayer confirm that the Mn atoms substitute the Ga atoms, with an increase by 2.7% of the distance to the nearest nitrogen atoms. Near edge spectroscopy results tend to indicate that the valence state of Mn is slightly higher than 3+, while EXAFS analysis suggests an electron transfer to the N neighbors