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Veremchuk I, Liedke MO, Makushko P, Kosub T, Hedrich N, Pylypovskyi OV, Ganss F, Butterling M, Hübner R, Hirschmann E, Attallah AG, Wagner A, Wagner K, Shields B, Maletinsky P, Fassbender J, Makarov D. Defect Nanostructure and its Impact on Magnetism of α-Cr 2 O 3 Thin Films. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2201228. [PMID: 35344270 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202201228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Thin films of the magnetoelectric insulator α-Cr2 O3 are technologically relevant for energy-efficient magnetic memory devices controlled by electric fields. In contrast to single crystals, the quality of thin Cr2 O3 films is usually compromised by the presence of point defects and their agglomerations at grain boundaries, putting into question their application potential. Here, the impact of the defect nanostructure, including sparse small-volume defects and their complexes is studied on the magnetic properties of Cr2 O3 thin films. By tuning the deposition temperature, the type, size, and relative concentration of defects is tailored, which is analyzed using the positron annihilation spectroscopy complemented with electron microscopy studies. The structural characterization is correlated with magnetotransport measurements and nitrogen-vacancy microscopy of antiferromagnetic domain patterns. Defects pin antiferromagnetic domain walls and stabilize complex multidomain states with a domain size in the sub-micrometer range. Despite their influence on the domain configuration, neither small open-volume defects nor grain boundaries in Cr2 O3 thin films affect the Néel temperature in a broad range of deposition parameters. The results pave the way toward the realization of spin-orbitronic devices where magnetic domain patterns can be tailored based on defect nanostructures without affecting their operation temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Veremchuk
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maciej Oskar Liedke
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Pavlo Makushko
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Tobias Kosub
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
- Tensor Instruments, HZDR Innovation GmbH, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Natascha Hedrich
- Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, Basel, 4056, Switzerland
| | - Oleksandr V Pylypovskyi
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
- Kyiv Academic University, Kyiv, 03142, Ukraine
| | - Fabian Ganss
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maik Butterling
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - René Hübner
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Eric Hirschmann
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ahmed G Attallah
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Andreas Wagner
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Kai Wagner
- Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, Basel, 4056, Switzerland
| | - Brendan Shields
- Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, Basel, 4056, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Maletinsky
- Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, Basel, 4056, Switzerland
| | - Jürgen Fassbender
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
| | - Denys Makarov
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany
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Gradauskaite E, Meisenheimer P, Müller M, Heron J, Trassin M. Multiferroic heterostructures for spintronics. PHYSICAL SCIENCES REVIEWS 2020. [DOI: 10.1515/psr-2019-0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
AbstractFor next-generation technology, magnetic systems are of interest due to the natural ability to store information and, through spin transport, propagate this information for logic functions. Controlling the magnetization state through currents has proven energy inefficient. Multiferroic thin-film heterostructures, combining ferroelectric and ferromagnetic orders, hold promise for energy efficient electronics. The electric field control of magnetic order is expected to reduce energy dissipation by 2–3 orders of magnitude relative to the current state-of-the-art. The coupling between electrical and magnetic orders in multiferroic and magnetoelectric thin-film heterostructures relies on interfacial coupling though magnetic exchange or mechanical strain and the correlation between domains in adjacent functional ferroic layers. We review the recent developments in electrical control of magnetism through artificial magnetoelectric heterostructures, domain imprint, emergent physics and device paradigms for magnetoelectric logic, neuromorphic devices, and hybrid magnetoelectric/spin-current-based applications. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of experiments that probe the crucial dynamics of the magnetoelectric switching and optical tuning of ferroelectric states towards all-optical control of magnetoelectric switching events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elzbieta Gradauskaite
- Department of Materials , ETH Zurich , Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 , Zurich , 8093 Switzerland
| | - Peter Meisenheimer
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI 48109 USA
| | - Marvin Müller
- Department of Materials , ETH Zurich , Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 , Zurich , 8093 Switzerland
| | - John Heron
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI 48109 USA
| | - Morgan Trassin
- Department of Materials , ETH Zurich , Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4 , Zurich , 8093 Switzerland
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