Isotropic spin polarization in Heusler Co2FeAl thin films
Source abstract
Abstract
Spin polarization and the Gilbert damping, as the two key parameters of the magnetic materials for spintronic applications, were suggested to be inversely proportional to each other in a series of Heusler alloys. Recently, large anisotropic Gilbert damping was found in Co2FeAl thin films, implying that spin polarization may be also anisotropic. Here, we report an isotropic spin polarization with a constant value of 60% in a 20-nm Co2FeAl thin film with a B2 structure, using spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. Furthermore, this result was also supported by the ab initio calculations that the difference of the spin polarization between all the orientations is less than 1% for the Co2FeAl thin film. This finding provides profound insight into the spin polarization in Co2FeAl alloys.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Heusler alloys: electronic and magnetic properties · Magnetic properties of thin films · MXene and MAX Phase Materials
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Photonic and Electronic Materials, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University 1 , Nanjing 210093, China
Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University 2 , Nanjing 210093, China
Department of Electronics and Physics, Nanjing-York Joint Center of Spintronics and Nano Engineering, University of York 3 , York YO105DD, United Kingdom
Funding
National Key Research and Development Program of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China-Guangdong Joint Fund · National Natural Science Foundation of China · national science foundation of jiangsu province of China · Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
References (34)
Show source-provided references
1. Correlations between structural, electronic transport, and magnetic properties of Co2FeAl0.5Si0.5 Heusler alloy epitaxial thin films10.1103/physrevb.92.054433 ↗
2. Lattice-matched magnetic tunnel junctions using a Heusler alloy Co2FeAl and a cation-disorder spinel Mg-Al-O barrier10.1063/1.4904716 ↗
3. Low B2 crystallization temperature and high tunnel magnetoresistance in Co2FeAl/MgO/Co–Fe magnetic tunnel junctions10.1016/j.jmmm.2009.12.003 ↗
4. The thickness-dependent dynamic magnetic property of Co2FeAl films grown by molecular beam epitaxy10.1063/1.4900792 ↗
5. Ferromagnetic interfacial interaction and the proximity effect in a Co2FeAl/(Ga,Mn)As bilayer10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.027203 ↗
6. Magneto-optical properties of metallic ferromagnetic materials10.1016/0304-8853(83)90097-5 ↗
7. Co2FeAl thin films grown on MgO substrates: Correlation between static, dynamic, and structural properties10.1103/physrevb.87.184431 ↗
8. Component manipulated magnetic anisotropy and damping in Heusler-like compound Co2+xFe1−xAl10.1088/1361-648x/aaf682 ↗
9. Magnetic anisotropy, exchange and damping in cobalt-based full-Heusler compounds: An experimental review10.1088/0022-3727/43/19/193001 ↗
10. Coherent tunneling and giant tunneling magnetoresistance in Co2FeAl/MgO/CoFe magnetic tunneling junctions10.1103/physrevb.81.140402 ↗
11. Direct observation of high spin polarization in Co2FeAl thin films10.1038/s41598-018-26285-9 ↗
12. The in-plane anisotropic magnetic damping of ultrathin epitaxial Co2FeAl film10.1063/1.4929765 ↗
13. Engineering Co2MnAlxSi1−x Heusler compounds as a model system to correlate spin polarization, intrinsic Gilbert damping, and ultrafast demagnetization10.1002/adma.201908357 ↗
14. Polycrystalline Co2Mn-based Heusler thin films with high spin polarization and low magnetic damping10.1063/1.5121614 ↗
15. Development of a vacuum ultraviolet laser-based angle-resolved photoemission system with a superhigh energy resolution better than 1 meV10.1063/1.2835901 ↗
16. Magnetic properties and spin polarization of Co2MnSi Heusler alloy thin films epitaxially grown on GaAs(001)10.1103/physrevb.71.144416 ↗
17. Direct evidence for minority spin gap in the Co2MnSi Heusler compound10.1103/physrevb.93.094417 ↗
18. Direct observation of hidden spin polarization in 2H–MoTe210.1103/physrevb.101.035102 ↗
19. Electronic structure of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy: Evidence for a nearly full surface spin polarization10.1103/physrevlett.106.257004 ↗
20. Spin polarization in half-metals probed by femtosecond spin excitation10.1038/nmat2341 ↗
21. Insights into ultrafast demagnetization in pseudogap half-metals10.1103/physrevx.2.041008 ↗
22. Temperature dependence of laser-induced demagnetization in Ni: A key for identifying the underlying mechanism10.1103/physrevx.2.021006 ↗
23. Ultrafast spin-dynamics in half-metallic CrO2 thin films10.1103/physrevb.74.064414 ↗
24. Sub-100 femtosecond time scale spin dynamics in epitaxial Fe3O4 thin film10.1016/j.apsusc.2021.151456 ↗
25. General features of photoinduced spin dynamics in ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic compounds10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.087202 ↗
26. Influence of photon angular momentum on ultrafast demagnetization in nickel10.1103/physrevb.75.224431 ↗
27. Explaining the paradoxical diversity of ultrafast laser-induced demagnetization10.1038/nmat2593 ↗
28. Efficiency of ab-initio total energy calculations for metals and semiconductors using a plane-wave basis set10.1016/0927-0256(96)00008-0 ↗
29. Theoretical study of the MoS2 (100) surface: A chemical potential analysis of sulfur and hydrogen coverage10.1021/jp0023819 ↗
30. Quantum Monte Carlo calculations for a large number of bosons in a harmonic trap10.1103/physrevlett.77.3865 ↗
31. Projector augmented-wave method10.1103/physrevb.50.17953 ↗
32. Semiempirical GGA-type density functional constructed with a long-range dispersion correction10.1002/jcc.20495 ↗
33. Improved description of the structure of molecular and layered crystals: Ab initio DFT calculations with van der Waals corrections10.1021/jp106469x ↗
34. Special points for Brillouin-zone integrations10.1103/physrevb.13.5188 ↗