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| (Sr,K)(Zn,Mn)2As2 was found to be a bulk diluted magnetic semiconductor system with decoupled charge and spin doping through K+ for Sr2+ and isovalent Mn2+ for Zn2+ substitution. The doped SrZn2As2system has a hexagonal CaAl2Si2-type structure with the Zn2As2layer forming a honeycomb-like network. Magnetization measurements show that the samples undergo ferromagnetic transitions with a Curie temperature of 23 K and saturation moment about 1.5 μB/Mn. Surprisingly, colossal negative magnetoresistance (MR), defined as [ρ(H)?ρ(0)]/ρ(0), up to ?99.8% was also observed in this system. The discovery should bring new excitement to this field and make the recently discovered bulk DMSs truly appealing class of systems. With decoupled charge and spin doping, this system combines semiconductor, ferromagnetism and colossal magnetoresistance (CMR), which make it appealing not only for theoretic study but also for application. |
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| Keywords:condensed matter physics; diluted magnetic semiconductor; magnetoresistance; SrZn2As2 |
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