Low-temperature growth of NiMnSb Heusler alloy thin films

被引：1

作者：

Childress, JR ^{[1
]}

Caballero, JA ^{[1
]}

Geerts, WJ ^{[1
]}

Petroff, F ^{[1
]}

Galtier, P ^{[1
]}

Suzuki, Y ^{[1
]}

Thiele, JU ^{[1
]}

Weller, D ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] Univ Florida, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA

来源：

MAGNETIC ULTRATHIN FILMS, MULTILAYERS AND SURFACES - 1997 | 1997年 / 475卷

关键词：

D O I：

10.1557/PROC-475-15

中图分类号：

T [工业技术];

学科分类号：

08 ;

摘要：

Ferromagnetic Heusler alloys such as NiMnSb may have unique applications to magnetoresistive devices because of their predicted half-metallic band-structure (i.e., 100% spin-polarized at the Fermi level). However, the high temperatures (>500 degrees C) used to date for the synthesis of the ordered alloy in bulk or thin-film form is incompatible with the reliable fabrication of nanoscale multilayer structures from this material. We report on the growth of high-quality polycrystalline thin films, 200-1000 Angstrom thick, of C1(b)-structured NiMnSb by RF-magnetron sputtering of a composite NiMnSb target onto glass and silicon substrates at temperatures as low as 250 degrees C. We have established that substrate temperature, deposition rate and argon gas pressures all play a critical role in obtaining the C1(b)-structured phase by direct deposition. Optimal conditions result in films whose properties, including lattice parameter, saturation magnetization, resistivity and magneto-optical Kerr rotation spectrum are identical to those of bulk NiMnSb. Additionally, coercive fields as low as a few oersteds make these films compatible with low-field applications.

引用

页码：15 / 20

页数：6