Electronic and magnetic properties of dopant atoms in SnSe monolayer: a first-principles study

Abstract

SnSe monolayer with orthorhombic Pnma GeS structure is an important two-dimensional (2D) indirect band gap material at room temperature. Based on first-principles density functional theory calculations, we present systematic studies on the electronic and magnetic properties of X (X = Ga, In, As, Sb) atoms doped SnSe monolayer. The calculated electronic structures show that Ga-doped system maintains semiconducting property while In-doped SnSe monolayer is half-metal. The As- and Sb- doped SnSe systems present the characteristics of n-type semiconductor. Moreover, all considered substitutional doping cases induce magnetic ground states with the magnetic moment of 1{\mu}B. In addition, the calculated formation energies also show that four types of doped systems are thermodynamic stable. These results provide a new route for the potential applications of doped SnSe monolayer in 2D photoelectronic and magnetic semiconductor devices.