Stoner magnetism in an inversion layer

• Stoner-type mean field theory for electrons in an inversion layer is constructed.
• Wave function change under an in-plane magnetic field is taken into account.
• Tendency toward ferromagnetism is strengthened in comparison with a usual Stoner theory.
• In-plane correlations at low densities are taken into account phenomenologically.

Motivated by recent experimental work on magnetic properties of Si-MOSFETs, we report a calculation of magnetisation and susceptibility of electrons in an inversion layer, taking into account the co-ordinate dependence of electron wave function in the direction perpendicular to the plane. It is assumed that the inversion-layer carriers interact via a contact repulsive potential, which is treated at a mean-field level, resulting in a self-consistent change of profile of the wave functions. We find that the results differ significantly from those obtained in the pure 2DEG case (where no provision is made for a quantum motion in the transverse direction). Specifically, the critical value of interaction needed to attain the ferromagnetic (Stoner) instability is decreased and the Stoner criterion is therefore relaxed. This leads to an increased susceptibility and ultimately to a ferromagnetic transition deep in the high-density metallic regime. In the opposite limit of low carrier densities, a phenomenological treatment of the in-plane correlation effects suggests a ferromagnetic instability above the metal–insulator transition. Results are discussed in the context of the available experimental data.