Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme
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MA: Fachverband Magnetismus
MA 6: Magnetic Thin Films I (Heusler Alloys)
MA 6.4: Talk
Monday, March 22, 2010, 15:15–15:30, H10
Thin films of the ferrimagnetic Heusler compound Mn2VAl — •Arbelo Jorge Elena, Brose Daniel, Jourdan Martin, Klaer Peter, and Elmers Hans Joachim — Institute of Physics, Johannes-Gutenberg University, Staudinger Weg 7, 55099 Mainz, Germany
Half-metallic ferrimagnetic materials are interesting candidates for spintronic applications. In comparison with ferromagnetic compounds, their values of the total magnetic moments are small which provides additional benefits. They are less affected by an external magnetic field and do not cause strong stray fields in devices.
First experimental studies on thin films of the ferrimagnetic Heusler compound Mn2VAl are presented here. The Heusler Mn2VAl thin films are prepared by rf-sputtering on MgO substrates at room temperature followed by an annealing step. The crystallographic and magnetic properties are analysed by using X-ray diffraction, SQUID magnetometry and X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD), respectively.
The structural analysis shows B2 order for films annealed at 550oC. Concerning magnetic properties, first XMCD results at RT show a spin moment of 1.06 µB/f.u and -0.9 µB/f.u for Mn and V, respectively in the bulk and a reduction to 0.46 µB/f.u and -0.22 µB/f.u at the surface. The values in the bulk are in certain agreement with theoretical predictions which are 1.5 µB/f.u and -0.9 µB/f.u, giving rise to a total spin moment of -2 µB/f.u.
First results of this compound implemented in Magnetic Tunneling Junctions are shown.