Epitaxial growth and magnetic properties of single-crystal Co2MnGe Heusler alloy films on GaAs (001)

Abstract

Single-crystal Co2MnGe Heusler alloy films were epitaxially grown on GaAs (001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction patterns and Auger spectroscopy confirmed the high-quality growth and stoichiometry. At 5 K, a saturation magnetization of 1000 emu/cm3 was measured. In-plane ferromagnetic resonance shows narrow linewidths and four-fold plus uniaxial anisotropy. A room-temperature resistivity of 115 μΩ cm has also been determined. The temperature dependence of the resistivity shows metallic behavior down to low temperatures.