Confinement and integration of magnetic impurities in silicon

Integration of magnetic impurities into semiconductor materials is an essential ingredient for the development of spintronic devices such as dilute magnetic semiconductors. While successful growth of ferromagnetic semiconductors was reported for III-V and II-VI compounds, efforts to build devices with silicon technology were hampered by segregation and clustering of magnetic impurities such as manganese (Mn). Here, we report on a surface-based integration of Mn atoms into a silicon host. Control of Mn diffusion and low-temperature silicon epitaxy lead to confined Mn δ-layers with low interface trap densities, potentially opening the door for a new class of spintronic devices in silicon. © 2013 American Institute of Physics.