Large negative magnetoresistance in reactive sputtered polycrystalline GdNx films

Polycrystalline ferromagnetic GdNx films were fabricated at different N2 flow rates (fN2) to modify N-vacancy concentration so as to study its influence on electrotransport. Metal-semiconductor transition appears at Curie temperature (TC) of ∼40 K. Temperature-dependent magnetoresistance (MR) shows a peak at TC. The films at fN2 = 5, 10, 15, and 20 sccm show MR of −38%, −42%, −46%, and −86% at 5 K and 50 kOe, respectively. Above 15 K, MR is from colossal MR and from both colossal and tunneling MR below 15 K. The enhanced MR at fN2 = 20 sccm is attributed to large spin polarization of half-metallicity in GdNx with low N vacancies.