Electronic and magnetoresistive properties of MnAs(0001)/GaAs(111) heterostructures

Electronic band-structure calculations are carried out for the View the MathML source multilayers by using the linearized muffin-tin-orbital method within the atomic sphere approximation. The exchange splitting of Mn 3d states between spin-up and spin-down bands as well as the magnitude of local magnetic moment of Mn atoms are reduced remarkably for the Mn sites near the heterointerface compared with those in the bulk of MnAs. On the other hand, the spin-polarization at the Fermi level is enhanced for the MnAs monolayers near the heterointerface.