Magnetic, structural, and transport properties of thin film and single crystal Co2MnSi

The magnetic, structural, and transport properties of the Heusler alloy Co2MnSi are reported for sputtered thin films and a single crystal. X-ray diffraction reveals a phase pure L2(1) structure for all films grown between 573 and 773 K. Films grown at 773 K display a four-fold decrease in the resistivity relative to those grown at lower temperatures and a corresponding 30% increase in the residual resistivity ratio (rho (300 K)/rho (5 K)). We show that the higher growth temperature results in lattice constants, room temperature resistivities, and magnetic properties that are comparable to that of the bulk single crystal. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.