Magnetic resistance of silicon specimens with manganese impurities

The magnetic properties of silicon specimens implanted with manganese ions are investigated. The specimens' surface morphology is studied via atomic force microscopy. It is shown that certain implantation doses give rise to regular nanometer-sized structures and that the formation processes are based on self-organization phenomena in strongly nonequilibrium systems. The presence of quantum-sized structures, or quantum dots, leads to a giant positive magnetoresistance of silicon specimens with manganese impurities. The magnetoresistance measurements are explained within the scope of Nagaev's magnetic-impurity theory.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]