Magnetic and charge derived properties of ball milled dilute magnetic semiconductor Si0.98Mn0.02

The dilute magnetic semiconductor (DMS) material Si0.98Mn0.02 was prepared by a ball milling technique at two different milling periods. The samples have been analyzed for electron density distribution and local structure using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data sets. The results were compared with those of pure silicon. Structural changes and their implications on the bond-length distributions were analyzed and compared. Electron density distributions of the defect structure were plotted on 2D planes and along the bonding direction in the unit cell for each case using the maximum entropy method (MEM). The incorporation of transition metal ion (Mn) at substitutional sites of the host lattice (Si) is verified for Si0.98Mn0.02 from XRD and magnetic hysteresis measurements were taken using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Room temperature ferromagnetism due to Mn substitution was observed in the prepared samples.