Growth of MnGeP 2 Thin Films by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Epitaxial growth of the Mn-containing novel ternary compound MnGeP 2 has been investigated. Prior to the growth experiments, theoretical studies using an ab initio calculation were carried out, on the basis of which the stable existence of MnGeP 2 with a chalcopyrite structure was predicted. Growth experiments of Mn-Ge-P were performed on GaAs(001) and InP(001) substrates using a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique, in which Mn and Ge were supplied from solid sources and P from a tertiary butyl phosphine (TBP) gas source. The optimum growth condition has been estimated on the basis of X-ray diffraction studies. Oriented overgrowth of MnGeP 2 was confirmed from a reciprocal lattice mapping (RLM) on X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, and lattice constants have been determined to be a =0.569 nm and c =1.13 nm based on the assumption that the material has a tetragonal crystal structure.