Abstract

It is well established that quantum size effects play an important role in modifying the electrical and optical properties of microscopic systems. Recently it has been shown that diluted magnetic semiconductors¹ (DMSs) can be incorporated into superlattice structures, offering the possibility of changing the confining potential by the application of an external magnetic field. Although the optical and electronic properties of DMS superlattices have been studied in some detail, direct magnetic studies in small structures are considerably more difficult, and only a few such experiments have been reported.^2,3 We are interested in probing the magnetic behavior on a local scale by exploiting the strong spin–spin interaction between the carriers and magnetic ions. In a quantum well structure, spin polarized carriers can induce a magnetization whose spatial extent is completely determined by the quantum mechanical wave functions of the confined carriers. Measurements of this induced magnetism then provide insight into the magnetic properties within this microscopic region. Furthermore, it is possible to explore the effects of changes in dimensionality on microscopic spin organization such as magnetic polaron and spin-glass dynamics. Thus we use DMS structures to tailor the electronic wave functions and vary the length scale of the magnetic probe, thereby providing an opportunity to study quantum phenomena in a new way.⁴

© 1990 Optical Society of America