X ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism on MnSb layers grown by MBE

Among the compounds which can be used in spintronic applications, these created by introducing ferromagnetic inclusions in a semiconductor matrix seem to be very promising. In order to obtain materials with desired magnetic properties, it is reasonable to start with inclusions with a Curie temperature TC , above room temperature. One of the candidate materials is MnSb. It was showed that bulk MnSb has TC of 587 K and the Mn1 xSbx layers grown on GaAs reach a TC of 620 K. This indicates that MnSb can be a good compound to form ferromagnetic nano inclusions above room temperature. The XANES and EXAFS spectra at the Mn K edge were measured at Hasylab A1 station using a single element germanium fluorescence detector. Additional spectrum of powdered MnSb standard sample was measured in transmission mode. The XMCD spectra at the Mn L3,2 edges and Sb M5,4 edges were measured at MAX lab beamline D 1011 . The spectra were collected in the total electron yield mode with the samples remanently magnetized. In conclusion, the EXAFS analysis confirmed that the local structure around Mn atoms is similar for both investigated layers and close to the one of MnSb. The XMCD signals of the samples show small differences in intensity at room temperature, an effect which disappears at 100 K. What s more, the XMCD at Sb M5,4 edge is also visible and shows a similar temperature dependenc