Structure and magnetic, electrical, and optical properties of thin films of Fe2NbSn and Co2Cr0.6Fe0.4Al Heusler alloys prepared by the method of magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Method of magnetron sputtering of mosaic targets has been used to prepare thin films of Fe2NbSn and Co2Cr0.6Fe0.4Al Heusler alloys. In these alloys, the band calculations predict the existence of a high degree of polarization of charge carriers. The chemical composition and the magnetic and structural characteristics of the films of both compounds have been studied. In the films of the Fe2NbSn alloy, which never has been investigated previously, we also studied optical and electrical properties. Based on the data obtained, we concluded that we obtained films with a composition close to stoichiometric. The annealing of the films leads to the appearance of a crystal structure and magnetic properties that correspond to the theoretical calculations. In the case of the Co2Cr0.6Fe0.4Al alloys, the structural and magnetic characteristics are identical to the literature data for the films obtained using continuous targets.