Design scheme of new tetragonal Heusler compounds for spin-transfer torque applications and its experimental realization.

Heusler compounds represent a remarkable class of materials with more than 1500 members. While they have been known for a long time,1 it is only in recent years that a wide range of their extraordinary functionalities, including half-metallic high-temperature ferri- and ferromagnets,2 multiferroic shape memory alloys,3–5 and topological insulators,6–8 have attracted significant attention for spintronics,9 energy technologies,10, 11 and magnetocaloric applications.12 One of the most recent advances has been the identification of the tetragonal Heusler compound Mn3Ga for spin-transfer torque (STT) applications.13, 14 Current development of efficient spintronic devices is focused on exploiting the STT phenomenon for non-volatile memory and logic devices. The primary advantage of STT as compared to conventional field-induced switching is the significant downscaling of the device dimensions, compatible with the needs for next-generation memory and logic devices, with reduced power consumption.15