Electrical, magnetic and galvanomagnetic properties of Mn-based Heusler alloys

Abstract

Half-metallic ferromagnets and spin gapless semiconductors are promising materials for spintronic devices since a high degree of the spin polarization of charge carriers can be realized in such materials. Spin gapless semiconductors make it possible to combine the properties of half-metallic ferromagnets with semiconductor characteristics and to perform fine tuning of the energy gap value. The Mn2 MeAl (Me = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) Heusler alloys can possess such features. We studied the electrical, magnetic and galvanomagnetic properties of the Mn2 MeAl (Me = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) Heusler alloys from 4.2 K to 900 K and in magnetic fields up to 100 kOe. The features in the electronic and magnetic properties of Mn2MeAl Heusler alloys were observed, which can be a manifestation of the electronic energy spectrum peculiarities with occurrence of the half-metallic ferromagnet and/or spin gapless semiconductor states.