New Heusler compounds with large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and for spin-torque application

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Claudia Felser
• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: from 2010 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 164481210

Goal of this project is the design of new tetragonal half-metallic compounds for spin torque application. Heusler compounds can be designed as low-damping materials, with damping values smaller than for conventional ferromagnetic metals such as CoFe. It is well established that the Co2YZ Heusler compounds are the only theoretical half metallic compounds for which high spin polarisation was realized in tunnel junctions. A reduced saturation magnetization despite a high Curie temperature can be found for ferrimagnetic Heusler compounds such as CoMn2Z and related compounds such as Mn3Ga. However, tetragonal Heusler compounds are of special interest due to their large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Especially Heusler compounds with Gallium and Tin show the structural instabilities. Several possible ferro- and ferrimagnetic candidates with tetragonal distortion will be synthesized and investigated within the project such as Mn2FeZ, CoMn2Z, XCr2Z, and XMn2Z.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 1464: ASPIMATT: Advanced Spintronic Materials and Transport Phenomena
• Major Instrumentation: Floating zone furnace
• Instrumentation Group: 1170 Kristallzüchtungsapparaturen, Kristallisationsanlagen