Recent Developments in Semimagnetic Semiconductors

The paper presents recent selected achievements of investigations, both bulk and low dimensional semimagnetic semiconductors (SMS). Mostly new SMS with FE, Co, Cr and Eu, Gd II-VI, and IV-VI materials are considered. Quartenary alloys with two anions and two cations and their electronic and magnetic properties related to the nature of magnetic ions are discussed. Selected problems of quantum wells and mezoscopic structures, as well as spin-dependent energy transfer processes, including impurity states and band carriers, are examined. New results related to the influence of band structure on magnetic properties of SMS are reported. (Author)