First-principles theory of dilute magnetic semiconductors

This review summarizes recent first-principles investigations of the electronic structure and magnetism of dilute magnetic semiconductors (DMSs), which are interesting for applications in spintronics. Details of the electronic structure of transition-metal-doped III-V and II-VI semiconductors are described, especially how the electronic structure couples to the magnetic properties of an impurity. In addition, the underlying mechanism of the ferromagnetism in DMSs is investigated from the electronic structure point of view in order to establish a unified picture that explains the chemical trend of the magnetism in DMSs. Recent efforts to fabricate high-${T}_{C}$ DMSs require accurate materials design and…