MBE Growth, Magnetic and Magneto‐optical Properties of II–VI DMSs

In this chapter we review the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) based on II–VI compounds. The MBE growth of II–VI DMSs was first reported in Mn‐doped tellurides or selenides. This has made it possible to explore novel magnetic and magneto‐optical properties by synthesizing mixed crystals with Mn contents beyond the solubility limit in bulk crystals and heterostructures with non‐magnetic layers. Later, with the aim of developing high‐temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors, tellurides and selenides with the incorporation of other transition‐metal (TM) elements such as Cr and Fe and also ZnO‐based DMSs have been studied. As a result, ferromagnetic behaviors have actually been observed in some of the synthesized crystals, but the intrinsic nature of ferromagnetism of the pure diluted phase has rarely been confirmed, with the detection of non‐uniform distribution of TM ions or precipitates of extrinsic phases. We will introduce these research activities for the development of novel II–VI DMSs.