FeRhCrSi: A new spin semimetal with room temperature spin-valve behavior

TL;DR

This paper experimentally verifies FeRhCrSi as a spin semimetal with room temperature spin-valve behavior, revealing its potential for spintronic applications due to its unique electronic and magnetic properties.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of spin semimetallic behavior in FeRhCrSi, a Heusler alloy, and demonstrates its room temperature spin-valve functionality.

Findings

FeRhCrSi exhibits spin semimetallic behavior with a band gap in one spin channel.

The material shows room temperature spin-valve behavior with asymmetric magnetoresistance.

Hall measurements indicate hole-dominated conductivity from Berry curvature effects.

Abstract

Spin semimetals are a recently discovered new class of spintronic materials, which exhibit a band gap in one spin channel while a semimetallic feature in the other and thus allows for tunable spin transport. Here, we present experimental verification of spin semimetallic behavior in FeRhCrSi, a quaternary Heusler alloy with saturation moment 2 $\mu_B$ and Curie temperature $>$ 400 K. It crystallises in the L2$_1$ structure with 50$\%$ antisite disorder between Fe and Rh. Below 300 K, it shows a weakly temperature dependent electrical resistivity with negative temperature coefficient, indicating the normal semimetal or spin semimetal behavior. Anomalous magnetoresistance data reveals dominant contribution from asymmetric part, a clear signature of spin-valve nature, which is retained even at room temperature. \textcolor{black}{The asymmetric part of magneto-resistance shows an unusual increase with increasing temperature.} Hall measurements confirm the anomalous nature of conductivity originating from the intrinsic Berry curvature, with holes being the majority carriers. Ab-initio simulation confirms a unique long-range ferrimagnetic ordering to be the ground state, explaining the origin behind the unexpected low saturation moment. The ferrimagnetic disordered structure confirms the spin semimetallic feature of FeRhCrSi, as observed experimentally.