Anisotropic Magnetoresistance of FexCo1-xS2

Abstract

The electron transport properties of the spin polarized ferromagnetic alloy FexCo1-xS2, 0 x 0.3, have been investigated. Varying the alloy concentration is predicted to change the level of spin polarization and produce a half-metallic ferromagnet. The magnetotransport properties of these samples were studied with particular attention paid to the Anisotropic MagnetoResistance (AMR). The measurements were made as a function of the temperature (in the range of 300 K to 2 K), the applied magnetic field magnitude (up to 8 T), and the angle of the applied field with respect to the current. A model of AMR developed for elemental ferromagnets predicts a sensitivity to whether the majority carriers at the Fermi level are polarized up or down. Measurements are discussed in terms of this model and an extension to a half-metallic characterization through this technique is proposed.