Structure, Magnetic and Transport Properties of MnxGe1-x

Ge1-xMnx (x=0.05, 0.07, 0.11, 0.15, 0.19, 0.23, 0.26, 0.29) thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering. All the films had a Ge cubic structure, and no indication of a secondary phase was found in any sample using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystal lattice constant increases with the Mn concentration, in accordance with Vegard's law. No films show clear magnetic domain structure under a magnetic force microscope (MFM). Atom force microscope (AFM) measurements show that all films have a uniform particle size distribution, and a columnar growth pattern. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements indicate that the Mn atoms are not singlely in the bivalent. Electrical transport properties show that the resistance of the films increases with increasing Mn concentration, suggesting that the Mn ions are in deep-level acceptor states, while resistance decreases with increasing temperature, which is a typical semiconductor property.