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

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 Cr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2015-07, Vol.107 (1)
Main Authors: West, Kevin G., Dao, Nam N. H., Lu, Jiwei, Osofsky, Michael, Mazin, I. I., Wolf, Stuart A., Department of Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABUNDANCE
CHROMIUM OXIDES
CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS
CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CURIE POINT
DEPOSITS
DOPED MATERIALS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
EPITAXY
INSTABILITY
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
MAGNETIZATION
OXYGEN
PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
RUTILE
SPIN ORIENTATION
THIN FILMS
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.4923274