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

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.