Ferromagnetic interactions in doped semiconductors and their nanostructures (invited)

The current status and prospects of research on ferromagnetism in tetrahedrally coordinated magnetic semiconductors and their nanostructures are reviewed. Results of a quantitative comparison between experimental and theoretical results, notably for Mn-based III–V and II–VI thin films and heterostructures, are presented. This comparison demonstrates that the current theory of the hole-mediated exchange interactions correctly describes the values of Curie temperatures TC, magnetic anisotropy, and magnetic circular dichroism. On this basis, chemical trends are examined and shown to lead to the prediction of semiconductor systems with TC that may exceed room temperature. Hopes associated with materials containing magnetic ions other than Mn are discussed.