Spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe in the $n$-type ferromagnetic semiconductor (In,Fe)As

Abstract

The electronic and magnetic properties of Fe atoms in the ferromagnetic semiconductor (In,Fe)As codoped with Be have been studied by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Fe $L_{2,3}$ edge. The XAS and XMCD spectra showed simple spectral line shapes similar to Fe metal, but the ratio of the orbital and spin magnetic moments ($M_\mathrm{orb}$/$M_\mathrm{spin}$) estimated using the XMCD sum rules was significantly larger than that of Fe metal, indicating a significant orbital moment of Fe $3d$ electrons in (In,Fe)As:Be. The positive value of $M_\mathrm{orb}$/$M_\mathrm{spin}$ implies that the Fe $3d$ shell is more than half-filled, which arises from the hybridization of the Fe$^{3+}$ ($d^5$) state with the charge-transfer $d^6\underline{L}$ states, where $\underline{L}$ is a ligand hole in the host valence band. The XMCD intensity as a function of magnetic field indicated hysteretic behavior of the superparamagnetic-like component due to discrete ferromagnetic domains.