Spin polarization and magnetotransport properties of systematically disordered $\mathrm{Fe}_{60}\mathrm{Al}_{40}$ thin films

TL;DR

This study explores how antisite disorder, induced by ion irradiation, affects spin polarization, Hall angle, and magnetic properties of Fe60Al40 thin films, revealing high tunability and potential for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the controlled enhancement of spin polarization and Hall angle in Fe60Al40 films through ion irradiation-induced disorder, a novel approach for spintronic material engineering.

Findings

Spin polarization increases monotonically with ion fluence.

Achieved 46% spin polarization and 3.1% SHA in irradiated films.

Observed divergence in magnetization and SHA trends at low disorder.

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of spin polarization, spontaneous Hall angle (SHA), saturation magnetization and Curie temperature of $B2$-ordered Fe$_{60}$Al$_{40}$ thin films under varying antisite disorder, induced by Ne$^{+}$-ion irradiation. The spin polarization increases monotonically as a function of ion fluence. A relatively high polarization of 46 % and the SHA of 3.1 % are achieved on 40 nm thick films irradiated with 2 $\cdot$ 10$^{16}$ ions/cm$^2$ at 30 keV. An interesting divergence in the trends of the magnetization and SHA is observed for low disorder concentrations. The high spin polarization and its broad tunability range make ion-irradiated Fe$_{60}$Al$_{40}$ a promising material for application in spin electronic devices.