Possible use of the half-Hausler alloy NiMnSb in spintronics: Synthesis and physical properties of arc melted NiMnSb and of NiMnSb thin films grown on InSb by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

We report the growth of single-phase, stoichiometric polycrystalline thin films of the half-Heusler ferromagnet NiMnSb, predicted to be half-metallic, on single crystal (100) InSb substrates heated at 200 °C by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The NiMnSb target used for the PLD deposition was synthesized by arc melting and had a saturation magnetization, MS (5K) ≤ 4μB/formula unit. The films exhibited saturation magnetization, MS (5K) ≤ 4μB/formula unit and coercive fields of 2 Oe at 300 K, indicating good structural quality. The temperature dependence of the saturation magnetization shows that at low temperature (T 200 K behaves like an itinerant ferromagnet. © 2005 IOP Publishing Ltd.