Electrical properties and magnetic response of cobalt germanosilicide nanowires

The effects of partial substitution of Ge for Si in cobalt germanosilicide (CoSi(1-x)Ge(x) and Co(2)Si(1-x)Ge(x)) nanowires (NWs) on the electrical transport, magnetic properties, and magnetoresistance (MR) have been investigated. Cobalt germanosilicide NWs were synthesized by a spontaneous chemical vapor transport growth method. The Ge concentration can be selectively controlled from 0 to 15% and 0-50% for CoSi(1-x)Ge(x) and Co(2)Si(1-x)Ge(x) NWs, respectively, by varying the reaction temperature. Electrical measurements showed that the resistivities of CoSi(1-x)Ge(x) NWs are 90, 60, 30, and 23 μΩ-cm for x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.15, respectively. Therefore, the electrical resistivity of CoSi(1-x)Ge(x) NWs was found to decrease significantly with an increasing Ge concentration, which is believed to be a result of the band gap narrowing. On the other hand, the Co(2)Si(1-x)Ge(x) (x ≤ 0.5) NWs exhibited ferromagnetism at 300 K, which is attributed to the uncoordinated Co atoms on the NW surface and spin-glass behavior at low temperature. The highest MR response of Co(2)Si(1-x)Ge(x) NWs occurred at x = 0.5, where a MR ratio of 11.7% can be obtained at 10-25 K with a magnetic field of 8 T. The enhanced physical properties of cobalt germanosilicide NWs with Ge substitution shall lead to promising application in the fabrication of nanodevices, including spintronics and serving as the gate and interconnect material.