Magnetic properties and spin polarization of Ru doped half metallic CrO{sub 2}

Journal Article · Mon Jul 06 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4923274· OSTI ID:22483150

West, Kevin G.; Dao, Nam N. H.; Lu, Jiwei ^[1]; Osofsky, Michael; Mazin, I. I. ^[2]; Wolf, Stuart A. ^[1]

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1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States)
2. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)

Chromium dioxide (CrO{sub 2}) is a half metal that is of interest for spintronic devices. It has not been synthesized through traditional physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques because of its thermodynamic instability in low oxygen pressures. Epitaxial thin films of Ru doped tetragonal rutile CrO{sub 2} were synthesized by a PVD technique. The as-deposited Ru{sub x}Cr{sub 1−x}O{sub 2} was ferrimagnetic with the saturation magnetization moment showing a strong dependence on the Ru concentration. Curie temperature as high as 241 K has been obtained for ∼23 at. % Ru. The Ru substitution increased the electrical conductivity by increasing the minority spin concentration. The spin polarization was found to be as high as 70% for 9 at. % Ru and decreased to ∼60% with Ru concentrations up to ∼44 at. %, which is determined by the Fermi velocities of the majority and minority spins. First principle calculations were performed to understand the effect of Ru content on the properties of CrO{sub 2}. The PVD processes of Ru doped CrO{sub 2} could lead to the practical applications of the high spin polarization of CrO{sub 2} in spintronic devices.

• OSTI ID: 22483150
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABUNDANCE
CHROMIUM OXIDES
CURIE POINT
DEPOSITS
DOPED MATERIALS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
EPITAXY
INSTABILITY
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
MAGNETIZATION
OXYGEN
PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
RUTILE
SPIN ORIENTATION
THIN FILMS