title: Ferromagnetism and nonmetallic transport of thin-film α-FeSi(2): a stabilized metastable material.
abstract: A metastable phase α-FeSi_{2} was epitaxially stabilized on a silicon substrate using pulsed laser deposition. Nonmetallic and ferromagnetic behaviors are tailored on α-FeSi_{2} (111) thin films, while the bulk material of α-FeSi_{2} is metallic and nonmagnetic. The transport property of the films renders two different conducting states with a strong crossover at 50 K, which is accompanied by the onset of a ferromagnetic transition as well as a substantial magnetoresistance. These experimental results are discussed in terms of the unusual electronic structure of α-FeSi_{2} obtained within density functional calculations and Boltzmann transport calculations with and without strain. Our finding sheds light on achieving ferromagnetic semiconductors through both their structure and doping tailoring, and provides an example of a tailored material with rich functionalities for both basic research and practical applications.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Guixin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: X-G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: German
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Samolyuk
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Parish
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.|Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Yanwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: Hangwen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Siwei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.|Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: Jieyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cantoni
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: Wolter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Siemons
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: E Andrew
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Payzant
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biegalski
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: T Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.|Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mandrus
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6056, USA.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Stocks
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gai