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 L21 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 (ρ300 K/ρ5 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.