STATE OFCoANDMnIN HALF-METALLIC FERROMAGNETCo2MnSiEXPLORED BY MAGNETIC CIRCULAR DICHROISM IN HARD X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON EMISSION AND SOFT X-RAY ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPIES

Abstract

The half-metallic Heusler compound Co2MnSi is a very attractive material for spintronic devices because it exhibits very high tunnelling magnetoresistance ratios. This work reports on a spectroscopic investigation of thin Co2MnSi films as they are used as electrodes in magnetic tunnel junctions. The investigated films exhibit a remanent in-plane magnetization with a magnetic moment of about 5 μBwhen saturated, as expected. The low coercive field of only 4 mT indicates soft magnetic behavior. Magnetic dichroism in emission and absorption was measured at the Co and Mn  2p core levels. The photoelectron spectra were excited by circularly polarized hard X-rays with an energy of 6 keV and taken from the remanently magnetized film. The soft X-ray absorption spectra were taken in an induction field of 4 T. Both methods yielded large dichroism effects. An analysis reveals the localized character of the electrons and magnetic moments attributed to the Mn atoms, whereas the electrons related to the Co atoms contribute an itinerant part to the total magnetic moment.