Faraday Effect of Cd0.55-yHgyMn0.45Te Thin Films

Abstract
The energy gap (E g) and the Verdet constant were examined for quaternary Cd0.55-y Hg y Mn0.45Te thin films with y≤0.11. As the Hg content increases, the E g decreases and the S-shaped dispersion of the Verdet constant spectrum shifts to a lower photon energy. The magnitude of the Verdet constant for the film with E g=1.78 eV (y=0.11) is about 1.9 times larger than that for the Cd0.8Mn0.2Te film with E g=1.78 eV. It is thought that the large Faraday effect of the Cd0.55-y Hg y Mn0.45Te films in the lower-photon-energy region is based on the large Zeeman splitting enhanced by Mn2+, as in the case of ternary Cd1-x Mn x Te.