Study of the “metal–insulator” transition induced by the impurity fluctuation potential using the Shubnikov–de Haas effect

Abstract

Heterostructures with a GaAs/InGaAs/GaAs quantum well and aMn magnetic impurity layer separated from it, which have different conductivity types, are studied. At a Mn content not exceeding the amount corresponding to 0.5 monolayer of MnAs, a percolation cluster formed in the quantum well plane is not simply connected, but consists of metal drops separated by low-conductivity interspaces. Despite the absence of the simply connected conducting channel, Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations are observed in all studied systems, which are controlled by carrier properties in conducting drops, independent of Mn content. The estimate of drop sizes corresponds to theoretical values.