Electrical and Magnetic Studies of $Zn_{x}Mn_{y}Cr_{z}Se_{4}$ p-Type Semiconductors

The structural, electrical and magnetic investigations carried out on the $Zn_{x}Mn_{y}Cr_{z}Se_{4}$ polycrystals with y = 0.19, 0.29 and 0.38 revealed the spinel structure with the Mn ions occupying tetrahedral sites, p-type conduction with polaronic transport at high temperatures and antiferromagnetic order with a Néel temperature of 20 K and a Curie-Weiss temperature of 103 K. With increasing Mn content in a sample both the effective magnetic moment and the re-entrant temperature increase while the first and second critical fields connected with a metamagnetic transition and the breakdown of the conical spin arrangement decrease, respectively. These results are interpreted in terms of giant cubic anisotropy as well as an effect of Mn impurities on the screw structure of $ZnCr_{2}Se_{4}$.