Tunable damping, saturation magnetization, and exchange stiffness of half-Heusler NiMnSb thin films

TL;DR

This study investigates how the composition of NiMnSb thin films affects their magnetodynamic properties, revealing tunable saturation magnetization, damping, and exchange stiffness, which are promising for spintronic and magnonic applications.

Contribution

The paper combines experimental ferromagnetic resonance measurements with first-principles calculations to demonstrate compositional control over key magnetic properties in NiMnSb thin films.

Findings

Maximum saturation magnetization and exchange stiffness at stoichiometric composition.

Minimum Gilbert damping occurs at stoichiometric composition.

Quantitative agreement between theory and experiment for M_S and α.

Abstract

The half-metallic half-Heusler alloy NiMnSb is a promising candidate for applications in spintronic devices due to its low magnetic damping and its rich anisotropies. Here we use ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements and calculations from first principles to investigate how the composition of the epitaxially grown NiMnSb influences the magnetodynamic properties of saturation magnetization $M_S$, Gilbert damping $\alpha$, and exchange stiffness $A$. $M_S$ and $A$ are shown to have a maximum for stoichiometric composition, while the Gilbert damping is minimum. We find excellent quantitative agreement between theory and experiment for $M_S$ and $\alpha$. The calculated $A$ shows the same trend as the experimental data, but has a larger magnitude. Additionally to the unique in-plane anisotropy of the material, these tunabilities of the magnetodynamic properties can be taken advantage of when employing NiMnSb films in magnonic devices.