Magneto-transport and thermoelectric properties of MnP thin film on GaAs (100)

MnP has been known as a complex magnetic material with antiferromagnetic helical alignment below 47 K, ferromagnetic behavior between 47 and 291 K and paramagnetic at higher temperatures.[1,2] MnP crystallizes in the orthorhombic structure with lattice constants, a=5.26 A, b=3.17 A, and c=5.91 A. MnP also shows catalytic and magnetocaloric properties. Therefore, the creation of MnP thin film might have even more potential for the spintronics applications.[3] The ferromagnetic behavior up to room temperature in MnP nanowhiskers has been reported.[4, 5] Here, we report the magneto-transport and thermoelectric properties in MnP thin films grown on the GaAs (100) substrate at 300 and 400 °C using molecular beam epitaxy (VG Semicon, Inc.). The MnP thin films exhibit a ferromagnetic ordering, as evidenced by anomalous Hall effect (AHE) and negative magneto-resistance (MR).