Preparation and characterization of thin ferromagnetic CrO2 films for applications in magnetoelectronics

The theoretically predicted high spin polarization of half-metallic ferromagnets like CrO2 and NiMnSb make them to promising materials for magnetoelectronic applications. Highly textured CrO2 films have been prepared by chemical vapor deposition and molecular beam epitaxy. The temperature-dependent magnetotransport data has been correlated with electronic properties of CrO2. Over a wide temperature range (150-330 K) the resistivity follows a T-2 behaviour, consistent with electron-electron scattering. Near the Curie temperature of CrO2 no metal-insulator transition, a magnetoresistance of - 7% (B = 9T) and an enhancement of the resistance due to electron-magnon scattering are observed. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.